Yes, stardom can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, you’re rich and famous but on the other, you have no privacy whatsoever. There’s no denying the array of perks that celebrities get for just being themselves. Some of the best perks come in form of contract clauses and legal requests. Some actors, singers, or directors will ensure they get whatever they want by putting legal ramifications on it. Sometimes a star wants a driver, or a chef, or a fancy trailer while other times they just want gummy bears.
Barbara And Her Toilet Paper
We can only assume this bizarre contract clause for Barbara Streisand was rooted by an awful experience with toilet paper. She wanted all of the bathrooms that she went into to have peach-colored toilet paper to match her complexion. She also made sure that toilets on movie sets she was acting on had rose petals in the toilet. These demands would work in her favor if paparazzi were to ever decide to make a “Best Celebrity Poopers” album or something. It seems a little bit extra Barb, but I guess you deserve it.
Color Blind
Jennifer Lopez took some heat for her demands while shooting a music video benefitting victims of the African AIDS epidemic. She was there with dozens of other musicians, but her inquiries were seen as being a bit much. She only spent about an hour on the set but wanted a white room, white flowers, white tables, white drapes, white candles, and white couches in her dressing room. She also had an extensive list of fruit and beverages that she wanted for that hour. None of the catering was allowed in the dressing room though, only to be set up outside.
Uma Needs To Be One Up
Uma Thurman isn’t looking to make new friends anytime soon, which seems to go hand in hand with one of her contract clauses. During the shooting of Eloise In Paris (which didn’t even end up getting made) she had a clause that made sure no other cast member could receive a more favorable dressing room. It’s safe to say that if one of the co-stars got a love seat, she got a couch. If one of her co-stars got 1,800 thread count sheets you can rest assured that Thurman got 1,801. I guess when you’re the star of the movie, you want to get treated like the star of the movie.
Seafood Diet
While Paris Hilton was filming The Other Guys, the heiress was apparently on a seafood diet. She requested that she had an unlimited supply of live lobsters so that she can, I don’t know, hang out with them? It’s confusing why you would want live lobsters over dead lobsters but to each their own. She followed up that request by having a couple bottles of Grey Goose vodka in her dressing room which isn’t as surprising for Paris as she’s always been known as a party girl. Maybe she was drinking to forget that she was in The Other Guys.
No More Death
Let’s be honest here, Queen Latifah’s contract clause is just straight up smart. She realized she was dying in way too many of the movies she was starring in and she felt like it was a problem. After her iconic death scene in Set It Off she put in an anti-death clause that literally didn’t let her character die in any more movies. This is a really smart business move for her because she realizes that if her character dies, she will not be able to participate in the sequel if there is one. Basically, she would cancel out her opportunity to take advantage of a movie doing well because she wouldn’t be able to stick in the franchise.
FORE
When you’re one of the highest grossing actors in the world, you can get away with anything. Samuel L Jackson loves the sport of golf so much that he makes sure he’s allowed to take a golf break whenever he wants. He has a clause in his movie contracts that allows him to golf twice a week with no pushback from the production companies. It’s hard to blame the man. I mean, if Jackson wanted an alpaca that played the banjo in his dressing room at all times I’m sure it could be figured out for him.
That’s Some Serious Effort
The proclaimed “Queen of hip-hop soul” music is a bit of a germophobe. Okay, Mary J. Blige’s not just a bit of one, she’s a full-blown germophobe. She’s been known to check into hotels as a woman named Mrs. Jefferson and demands that a brand new toilet seat is installed prior to her arrival. If you’re thinking what I’m thinking, let’s just all be Mrs. Jefferson? If that’s the name that will ensure a brand new toilet seat be installed in my room before I get there I am officially Brenda Jefferson. I guess that’s what being a star is all about.
That Couldn’t Be More Confusing
It’s safe to say that the title for the most bizarre contract demands comes from Will Ferrell. For his promotional tour for the movie Semi-Pro, he confused absolutely everyone by asking for a painted rainbow on wheels. He followed that interesting request by asking for a Janet Jackson-style headset microphone, one flight of stairs on wheels, and an electric three wheel mobility scooter. Knowing Ferrell, you can only assume that this was a huge prank on everyone who would actually get him these things when he arrived and it’s hilarious.
Shut Up And Drive
Katy Perry had some interesting instructions in her contract that was directed specifically at her driver. The driver was forced to stay behind the wheel at all times (as if he was going to move?), the driver must not start a conversation with Perry or any of the other guests and in a weird turn of events, the driver must never assume, they should always ask when in doubt. So basically the final rule is telling the driver to talk to the guests or Perry if they are in doubt, but, the driver has been told to not talk. My guess is that the drivers who were in doubt (whatever that means) just didn’t ask any questions.
No Banana Policy
On top of the $80,000 he charged to perform at the University of Oklahoma, Jack White’s contract to the venue included some very weird things. First of all, they said that it needs to be a banana-free venue. White wanted absolutely no bananas in or around his dressing room. Secondly, they wanted a particular blend of guacamole with a specific recipe provided by his tour manager. The recipe is extensive and time-consuming and let’s be honest, really unnecessary considering every form of guac is good.