For millions of fans, Dylan Sprouse will be remembered for his role as one half of the iconic twin duo in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody – but the actor has revealed the residual payments for the hit Disney show are far less impressive than you’d think for a hit Disney show.
Sprouse and his brother Cole played the titular trouble-making identical twins who live in an upper-floor suite of the luxurious hotel where their mother works as a lounge singer.
The show – which ran for three seasons from 2005 to 2008 – proved a huge success for the channel and spawned a spin-off series titled The Suite Life on Deck and a film, The Suite Life Movie.
Despite its success, Sprouse, who played the more rebellious twin Zack, claimed that he has received just one residual check since the show’s run – and it was for a crossover episode with Hannah Montana and amounted to only five cents.
The actor discussed the residuals in an episode of his podcast Wildmen with Dylan Sprouse and Brendan Columbus, on which his former co-star Phil Lewis, who played the hotel’s manager Mr Moseby, was a guest.
“Correct me if I’m wrong about this, because this is what I wanted to talk to you about – because this surprises people that I’ve told in person,” he said.
“I don’t ever think I’ve said this on an interview, but the only residual check I’ve ever received for Suite Life at all was a crossover episode with Hannah Montana for five cents.”
Sprouse said he was surprised at the measly amount given how popular the show was at the time. “Imagine that, in a time where residuals would have been great, not a single paycheck for being arguably one of the most popular shows on television,” he said, noting that there was one point when the show was beating The Sopranos in the rating.
“That pops in my head every once in a while and I go, ‘And we still didn’t get a single f***ing residual,’” he said. “Back then there weren’t any streaming services, right? The only things you could watch were a certain amount of channels.
“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 not anything to cross over, and all you’re going to watch are shows at that age demographic.”
In a previous episode of his podcast, Sprouse said his time on the show equated to “child labour”. He and his twin brother were 11 years old when they began playing Zack and Cody Martin. They filmed their final episode on their 18th birthday.
“It’s child labour,” he said. “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."
The actor noted he still has “some mental hurdles as an adult acting now in the same industry” and questioned whether he is always “chasing” acting like a child in his work.
The Independent has contacted a representative of Disney for comment.
Sprouse, who has gone on to star in films including After We Collided, Under Fire, and Beautiful Disaster, is married to Hungarian model Barbara Palvin.
The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Sylvie, in September this year, weeks before Palvin returned to the runway to walk the Victoria’s Secret fashion show.