Actor Dimitris Tsakalas revealed he earned only 140 euros per episode playing Billy on the television comedy series To Kafe tis Charas.
Speaking on the YouTube show Tsai me Lemoni, Tsakalas said his low pay forced his mother to step in and negotiate transport expenses with producers after he struggled to cover basic living costs.
Tsakalas explained that during the initial seasons of the show, his pay was far below industry standards for a prominent cast member. The actor received 140 euros per episode, earning a gross monthly income of 560 euros, or just over 400 euros net, based on the show broadcast schedule of four episodes per month.
He discovered the wage disparity after watching a previous episode of the same YouTube show, in which co-star Paris, who played Manolakis, revealed his own earnings. Tsakalas said he was shocked to learn how much less he was being paid compared to his colleague.
Episode Earnings and Financial Struggles
When Tsakalas mentioned his pay rate to co-star Rania Louizidou during the third season of production, she initially refused to believe him. Louizidou insisted on inspecting his official pay voucher before accepting that he was earning so little.
Tsakalas noted that actor compensation for comparable roles during that era typically started at a minimum of 300 euros net per episode. He acknowledged that cast members were aware from the start that his rate was low, although he did not know what other actors on the show were earning.
Car Expenses and Production Negotiations
Despite the television series achieving massive popular success with audience viewing figures between 54 and 57 percent, Tsakalas found it increasingly difficult to meet his personal expenses while spending long hours on set.
His travel costs escalated in the second and third seasons after he purchased an old 1985 Volkswagen Golf, a vehicle that consumed large amounts of premium petrol. Embarrassed to approach show management himself, Tsakalas relied on his mother to negotiate directly with producers for an allowance to cover his fuel costs.
Production executives did not grant Tsakalas a salary raise for the second season, though his mother successfully negotiated coverage for his petrol expenses.
Third Season Pay Increase and Reduced Role
Producers raised his fee to 170 euros per episode for the third season. Because the pay remained insufficient, Tsakalas declined to sign on for the full slate of episodes, agreeing to appear in only about 15 episodes that year.
To support himself, Tsakalas took on a second job outside of television filming alongside his reduced schedule on the show.
To Kafe tis Charas, created by Haris Romas and Anna Chatzisofia, aired on the ANT1 network and stands as one of the most successful comedy series in Greek television history.
