Dylan Sprouse says the only residual payment he has received for “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” was a check for five cents. He shared the detail on “Wildmen,” a podcast hosted by his former co-star Phil Lewis, who played hotel manager Mr. Moseby on the Disney-channel/">Disney Channel series.
Sprouse described the show as popular but underfunded, and said its cast contracts allowed production to continue throughout a calendar year while counting the episodes as a single season. Lewis said that arrangement meant the cast did not receive additional pay increases tied to the number of episodes filmed.
The five-cent payment, Sprouse said, came from a crossover episode with “Hannah Montana.” He added that he had received no other residual checks for the show, despite its popularity. Sprouse also noted that the series aired before streaming services existed and described Disney Channel as a place where children could watch programming aimed at their age group without advertisements.
“The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” ran from 2005 to 2008 and followed twins Zack and Cody, who lived at the Tipton Hotel with their mother. The series led to the spinoff “The Suite Life on Deck,” which aired from 2008 to 2011.
Sources: Variety.