Dylan Sprouse shares brutal truth about his ‘The Suite Life of Zack & Cody’ residual payments
Dylan Sprouse has revealed that his only residual cheque from his iconic sitcom was shockingly low, as he discussed his contract with another Disney Channel star.
The 34-year-old former child star played Zack for three seasons alongside his twin brother Cole, who starred as Cody, with the pair becoming global stars.
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, of course, was set in the luxurious fictional Tipton Hotel in Boston.
But in a new interview with his former co-star Phil Lewis, Sprouse revealed on his Wildmen podcast that the only residual cheque he had received from the show was for only five cents.
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The Suite Life of Zack & Cody aired 87 episodes across three seasons, with Lewis playing hotel manager Mr Moseby, who frequently found himself at odds with his mischievous young guests.
Speaking about their contract, Sprouse shared: “In terms of the channel higher-ups, we were also kind of weirdly the ugly duckling. We were extremely popular, but also extremely underfunded.”
Lewis then explained that the cast signed contracts that made it so that they could film continuously in a calendar year, and despite how many episodes it was, be considered one season of TV.
“They called it one season because they didn’t have to pay us bumps,” he said.
Sprouse, who recently welcomed his first child, then told Lewis he had something ‘that surprises people’ that he ‘wanted to talk to’ him about: his residuals.
"The only residual check I’ve ever received for The Suite Life at all was a crossover episode with Hannah Montana for five cents. I’m not joking," he said.
"Imagine that. In a time where residuals would have been great," Sprouse added. "Not a single paycheque for being arguably one of the most popular shows."
He also noted that, back then, ‘there weren’t any streaming services,’ meaning viewers could only watch a ‘certain amount of channels’.
Sprouse continued: "And Disney Channel itself prided itself on being a channel where you could turn it on safely for kids, where there’s no advertisements, there’s no anything to cross over, and all you’re going to watch are shows at that age demographic."
Tyla has approached Disney for comment.
Sprouse previously compared his early experiences in the entertainment industry to 'child labour' in a candid admission, opening up about his experiences as a child actor on a previous episode of Wildmen, where he was joined by guest Mark Indelicato.
During the conversation, Sprouse revealed that he and Indelicato, who is best known for his roles in Ugly Betty and Hacks, had known each other since he was around 12 or 13 years old.
"We worked together on an episode of The Suite Life," Sprouse shared.
Columbus then asked: "Did you sing and dance?"
"I did," Sprouse replied. "I sang and danced. I’m a Disney kid. I have to sing and dance."
He went on to praise his former The Suite Life co-star, describing him as 'one of the most talented actors I know', before reflecting on how they had both grown up working in the entertainment industry.
Sprouse then joked: "It’s child labour. When you work a career at that age, some kids used to work in coal mines and guard the minecart door when they were 15; we just sang and danced.
"It’s still child labour."
Topics: TV And Film, Celebrity, Disney
Greg Harris
