Filmmaker James Gunn has finally put an end to the long-standing rumor that Vin Diesel received a whopping $54 million for voicing Groot in Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy. The speculation had been circulating for years, but Gunn addressed it on Twitter in April, discrediting the claim entirely.
If true, this would have meant that Vin Diesel had been paid $18 million for each different word spoken.
The origin of the $54 million figure remains unclear, but the director gave it no credibility whatsoever. In response to a tweet sharing an article that asserted Diesel earned this astronomical sum for merely uttering the words “I am Groot” repeatedly, Gunn provided a simple answer with a laughing emoji, stating, “Not true.”
While some were skeptical about the figure from the beginning, Groot, the animated tree, is undeniably a crucial character in the Guardians Of The Galaxy trilogy. Diesel voiced the character in all three movies, and as a highly recognized Hollywood figure, his role would undoubtedly command a substantial fee, regardless of the specific amount.
The rumor’s key flaw was the claim that Diesel received four payments of slightly over $13 million each for voicing Groot in the four relevant films. However, the reality is much more complex, as Diesel played the role in several movies to varying degrees, along with some television appearances.
Apart from the MCU Guardians trilogy, Diesel’s Groot character also appeared in two Avengers films, Thor: Love And Thunder, and made a cameo in Disney’s Ralph Breaks The Internet. Additionally, he is part of the five-part I Am Groot series and a 2022 TV special of Guardians Of The Galaxy.
With the final Guardians Of The Galaxy film’s release in the US approaching, it’s no surprise that Gunn took the opportunity to put this rumor to rest once and for all.
