While the biggest stars in Hollywood may make millions for every movie they make, many actors spend years barely scraping by as they try to build their careers. Sounds like that was the case for Brooks Darnell, a familiar face to many Hallmark Channel fans.
The soap alum, who played Dr. Nate Hastings on “The Young & the Restless” in 2018 and 2019, divulged in an Instagram video on September 9, 2026, that his first Hallmark movie “paid $1,500” — less than what it cost to cover his expenses.
Brooks Darnell’s 1st Hallmark Movie Was ‘All Yours’
After his 70-episode arc on “Y&R,” Darnell starred in six Hallmark movies between 2019 and 2023, including “A Christmas Miracle” with Tamera Mowry-Housley, “A Winter Getaway” with Nazneen Contractor, and “Game of Love” with Kimberley Sustad.
Darnell says he’s currently directing his first feature film, but a decade ago, he was pounding the pavement to build his career. According to IMDb, Darnell’s first Hallmark movie was 2016’s “All Yours” starring Nicollette Sheridan, in which he had a small role.
As part of a series of Instagram videos he’s shared about what it takes to make it in the industry, Darnell got “a little bit personal” by divulging his first Hallmark paycheck, telling his followers, “So, my first Hallmark job paid me $1,500. It cost me $1,800 to do it. So yeah, your math is right. I lost money.”
“But that’s okay, and this is why I lost money,” he continued, explaining that casting called to offer him a role as a “local hire.” He recalled, “At first I said no, and then I realized, like, ‘Listen, man, it’s a notch on your belt. It’s a (movie) credit. You can do it. It’ll be something good to do.’ You know, the things we say to ourselves to justify it.”
Darnell then explained that he booked a “horrible” $30-a-night hotel, and paid for a flight, rental car, gas, and food. According to Casting Networks, the term “local hire” means an actor is expected to “already live within a production’s specified zone and can get to set on shoot day without air travel, hotels, or per diem.”
How Much Do Hallmark Movie Actors Usually Make?
HallmarkIt’s not clear why Darnell had to travel for the role, but he did say that the set was “an hour and a half outside of downtown Vancouver,” adding that he got sick and also had to pay for a visit to the doctor.
Darnell concluded in his video, “For all of you guys out there that are grinding, and things are costing you more than you thought it would, and you’re not sure if it was the right decision to make, something is always going to cost you. It’s better that it’s money than your health or your time … because the next thing will breed the next thing.”
Although $1,500 may sound like a small paycheck for a Hallmark movie, it’s not likely that Darnell was on-set for the full three-week shoot given that he had a small role in “All Yours” and was considered a local hire.
The actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, oversees how much actors are paid “based on a film’s budget, the actor’s role, and how many days the actor is needed on set,” per Backstage, with union actors receiving a predetermined rate.
Most Hallmark movies are considered “low-budget,” so actors’ rates are typically 65% of a big-budget movie. According to SAG-AFRTA‘s most recently-published rates, that comes out to $810 per day or $2,812.00 per week. Of course, top talent and major stars can make significantly more, and often receive residuals for popular movies that frequently re-air on the network.
