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Some first big paychecks went to family
Matt Damon helped his brother and mother
Matt Damon’s first big check, for the 1990 film Rising Son, was reportedly $25,000. In remarks from a Hollywood Reporter interview reported by Fortune in 2023, Damon said: “I bought my brother a car and put my mom through her Ph.D. program.” He added that it was “a really cool feeling.” The account does not say that the entire check went to those expenses.
Nicole Kidman bought her parents a washing machine
Nicole Kidman recalled buying her parents a washing machine with her first paycheck. She later bought herself a pair of boots she remembered as the coolest she had ever seen. Her recollection appears in Glamour’s 2019 collection of first-big-paycheck stories.
Jaimie Alexander bought a car for her parents
Glamour’s collection also reports that Jaimie Alexander used her first big paycheck to buy a car for her parents. The account does not specify the car or its price.
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Cars and a place of one’s own
James Brown chose transportation over a home
In a June 1988 interview republished online by SPIN in 2019, James Brown said the first expensive thing he bought with his first big paycheck was a car. “I wanted a home, but a man has to have a way to get around,” he explained. It is a historical interview, not a recent recollection.
America Ferrera bought a used car for auditions
America Ferrera said her first paycheck went toward a used 2000 Mitsubishi Mirage, which she remembered costing about $12,000. In the Glamour account, the car mattered because reaching auditions around Los Angeles had meant taking buses, walking, biking and asking siblings for rides. The price is Ferrera’s recollection, not an independently verified transaction amount.
Emily Blunt used her first paycheck to move out
Emily Blunt reportedly used her first paycheck to leave her parents’ home and rent an apartment, according to Fortune’s account of the Hollywood Reporter interview. The story does not give a rent amount or describe the move as a purchase.
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Taryn Manning bought an SUV
Glamour reports that Taryn Manning used earnings from a guest role to buy a Ford Explorer. That milestone is described as money from a guest role, rather than definitively as her first big paycheck.
Saving, equipment and personal treats
Serena Williams deposited a million-dollar paycheck
Serena Williams said she did not touch her first million-dollar paycheck and deposited it in the bank, as recounted by Glamour. That wording is specific: it was a million-dollar paycheck, not simply an unspecified first paycheck.
Kerry Washington saved per diem money for a laptop
Kerry Washington’s story concerns per diem cash, not an explicitly identified first big paycheck. During the three-month shoot of Save the Last Dance, she hid the money under her mattress, set a budget and saved enough to buy her first laptop, according to Glamour.
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Brie Larson remembered an electric guitar
Brie Larson described a “first real purchase” she recalled: a blue electric guitar. Glamour’s account does not establish that it was bought with her first paycheck.
Cillian Murphy was unsure whether it was a record player or sound system
Asked about his first big check, Cillian Murphy recalled: “I think I bought like a record player—or a sound system.” Fortune reported the remark from the same Hollywood Reporter interview as Damon’s story. Murphy’s uncertainty is part of the account; it does not establish which item he bought.
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Tiffany Haddish had a small treat—and a separate home story
In a 2018 TIME feature, Tiffany Haddish recalled opening a checking account and treating herself to a box of Snickers. Glamour separately recounts a Haddish story about buying a house and feeling proud that she could provide for herself. The accounts do not establish that these were the same paycheck or milestone, so they should not be combined into one spending story.
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Other purchases ranged from sushi to a facial
Glamour’s roundup includes several more first-big-paycheck recollections: Lana Condor spent hers on food, particularly sushi; Sarah Paulson bought items at the Gap and gifts for friends; Constance Zimmer bought a dining table; and D’Arcy Carden got a facial. The examples differ in detail and in what the speakers chose to remember.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.“Big paycheck” is personal, not a shared benchmark
Jennifer Lopez put the subjectivity plainly in TIME’s 2018 feature: “Every time I made money, it was big to me.” The article also recalled that she grew up in the Bronx with holes in her shoes. Glamour separately describes Lopez leasing a Mercedes after landing a regular series, but that is presented as a career milestone—not definitively as her first big paycheck.
These stories are anecdotes with different milestones: a first paycheck, a first big check, per diem cash, a first million-dollar paycheck or a first memorable purchase. They show individual choices, not how celebrities generally spend early earnings. They also reveal little about anyone’s later finances or the long-term effects of a purchase.
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Acting income can be irregular. In a 2020 Backstage interview, entertainment business manager Paul Papile said, “For most, the inflow of money will stop and go.” He advised actors to stay grounded after a large role or pilot and discussed saving for retirement and building a financial safety net. That is general career context, not evidence that any purchase in these recollections was prudent or unwise.
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