Did Netflix Pay Wilmer Valderrama A Fortune To Reprise His Role Of Fez From That ’70s Show?

Nostalgia can be super powerful, and in the age of TV reboots, it leads to some mixed results. But while critics didn’t love How I Met Your Father, the Netflix reboot of That ’70s Show was a totally different story. Seeing the familiar characters back together again almost felt too good to be true, and Wilmer Valderrama reprised his beloved role of Fez, which was one selling point for the new series.

That ’90s Show turns the focus on Eric and Donna’s teenage daughter Leia Forman, played by Callie Haverda, as she lives with her grandparents, the hilarious Red and Kitty, for the summer. It’s fun seeing Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher pop by the Foreman house as Jackie Burkhart and Kelso, but for many fans, seeing Fez again was the highlight. Was Wilmer Valderrama paid quite a lot to appear on That ’90s Show?

What Did Netflix Pay Wilmer Valderrama For That ’90s Show?

Wilmer Valderrama appears in three episodes of That ’90s Show, and all of his scenes are just as charming as on the original sitcom. The actor’s That ’90s Show salary was never shared.

However, since he is such a famous and successful actor and Netflix is known for paying high salaries, it’s likely that he came away with quite a lot of money in his bank account. And it seems possible that given the high level, he is at career-wise, his agent would have negotiated a great deal.

While the salaries aren’t known for every Netflix series, some Netflix shows pay actors a lot. According to Go Banking Rates, Jason Bateman and Laura Linney were paid $300,000 for each episode of Ozark. And the salaries of the Stranger Things cast have been well publicized as well, with the stars earning hundreds of thousands of dollars for each episode in the last few seasons.

Valderrama is definitely used to making good money. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he has a net worth of $20 million and is paid $100,000 for every episode of NCIS.

Since Valderrama starred on That ’70s Show for 8 seasons, he definitely was paid nicely, and although that salary isn’t known, Topher Grace was paid $300,000 for every That ’70s Show episode. Since That ’70s Show is a sitcom with an ensemble cast, it’s likely that Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Laura Prepon, and Valderrama were paid the same.

Although Valderrama has definitely moved on from That ’70s Show, playing Kyle Diaz in a five-episode arc on Grey’s Anatomy, Detective Efrem Vega on Awake, and taking on the character of Nick Torres on NCIS: Hawaii and NCIS: Los Angeles, there’s no doubt that fans always think of him as Fez.

While it seems like the cast of That ’70s Show was glad to come back and play their popular characters again, as this was likely just as fun for them as it was for fans, it seems like Netflix must have paid them well. The reboot got a lot of buzz as soon as it was announced and a large fanbase was ready and waiting for it.

What Wilmer Valderrama Said About That ’90s Show

Bonnie Turner, who created That ’70s Show alongside Mark Brazill and Terry Turner, said that Wilmer Valderrama was always happy about the possibility of playing Fez again.

According to Buzzfeed, she said, “When we called Wilmer to see if he would come back and do Fez, and if he had any interest, he said, ‘When do you want me?’ And then he said, ‘I haven’t done the voice since That ’70s Show. I don’t make that sound. People ask me to do it and I won’t do it. I love Fez. I told him I understood that and it meant a lot that he wanted to come back and do it.”

In the years since That ’70s Show went off the air in 2006, fans have begun to wonder if the portrayal of Fez is a little offensive or problematic. And Valderamma has shared his thoughts on Fez, including Fez’s voice.

The actor said in an interview with Today.com, “In many ways, (Fez could) ask the questions that everyone was thinking and say the things that was on everyone’s mind and not have to filter it. I felt like that accent was another great aesthetic to create a character that was still multi-dimensional that I hadn’t seen on television.”

He also said that when he auditioned for the role, he made sure that the character had several accents since the script never said what Fez’s home country was. That worked well and he was given the part.

Valderamma feels good about being a Latino actor on a sitcom for 8 seasons and told Today.com, “I’m very proud to be one of those few that were on primetime back then. When I think back about what it probably did for my community … it’s a privilege.”

What Happens To Fez On That ’90s Show?

That ’90s Show strikes a great balance between allowing the new characters like Leia to have their own storylines and making sure that fans of the original series are given enough nostalgia. While the show does focus on Leia’s new friendships and the hard times that she deals while getting older, Fez’s scenes are as charming as they were on That ’70s Show.

In one hilarious scene, the original characters sit in their famous circle and think about life, becoming more existential as time goes on. Fez says “I miss my people” and Jackie says, “Man. I just totally forgot why I was laughing.”

When Fez says that he can find a solution to the issues he’s having in a relationship with a woman named Sherri, Donna asks why he’s there. Fez is as happy and sweet as ever when he expresses that he’s so thrilled to be hanging out with his friends again.

This scene is exactly why That ’70s Show fans love Fez so much: because he can’t help but flirt all the time, and his personality is adorable. When Donna suggests going outside, Fez says that he’s good friends with Eric so he couldn’t betray him like that. That ’90s Show brings back its older characters and shows that they are exactly the same as they have always been, which makes it a fun and successful reboot, and it seems that Valderamma was happy to come back.