His behavior’s been erratic for a while now. He agreed to work for scale in Brokeback Mountain, because nobody really thought it would make a lot of money; when it did end up making millions, Quaid sued for $10 million and “punitive damages.” Then, he was kicked out of the stage actor’s union on the grounds of being incredibly annoying on the set of a play. The entire cast, 26 people, complained that he was verbally and physically abusive.
“The entire cast, 26 people, complained that he was verbally and physically abusive”
Well, they didn’t hire him to stem the rose.
IIRC, Donald Sutherland took the full pay option instead of a percentage for his role as Professor Jennings in "Animal House". He didn't expect it to be such a hit.
Steve McQueen lost out on big bucks by doing the same with "The Blob".