Worth

I'm a bit late to all of this, and felt prompted to look further when the set for The Hobbit burned down, but dude. Peter Jackson made at least $20 million on King Kong alone. His net worth was estimated to be $450 million in 2009. He's part-founder of hugely in-demand WETA Digital.  If he can donate $450,000 in New Zeland dollars to stem cell research or spend $10 million saving a historic church from demolition, Jackson can afford to pay extras fairly. This is true for all rich people, but being a benevolent person isn't just a matter of giving appropriately to your favorite charities. It's a matter of being a decent employer, too, whether it's paying your household help what they're worth, or treating folks you want to run around in silly clothes for no credit with a measure of decency as well. It's never such a privilege to work for you and in proximity to you that the money doesn't matter.