Michael Peña is a veteran actor whose Hollywood career nearly spans over three decades. As far as acting goes, it’s safe to say he’s done it all. He’s been both a television and movie star. And perhaps, more impressively, his work is highly reflective of his versatility, having dabbled in action, comedy, sci-fi, thriller, drama, and fantasy over the years.
At the same time, Peña has also found himself starring in some of the most critically acclaimed (and award-winning) films to date. In recent years too, Peña has been a part of the biggest franchise in cinematic history (that’s the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), of course). As it turns out, all the hard work has also paid off extremely well for the actor as his net worth is, perhaps, bigger than anyone can imagine.
Michael Peña Took Whatever Acting Gigs He Could Get Initially
When Peña started out in the 90s, he couldn’t get as much acting opportunities. All he could do was book what he could. “Fifteen years ago, it was really, really tough because there were these breakdowns for [casting] where it would specifically say, ‘Lead part: Caucasian; second part: Caucasian; Caucasian, Caucasian, Caucasian,’” the actor told The New York Times in 2018. “And it wouldn’t be until the 10th part that it would be open to African-Americans. And then it would be up to ‘15: open to all ethnicities.’ So the best that I could do back in the day was 15th place.”
Initially, Peña also had to deal with getting stereotyped constantly, often booking “gangster parts all the time.” Instead of walking away though, he worked with what he’s got. “Everybody had their own stereotypes in a way, generalizations, especially when you’re starting out,” the actor told NBC News. “For me, I tried to rationalize it and not become a victim, cause when I become a victim it kind of stops me, it takes the control out of my hands. And it helped me specifically to not feel like that, knowing that I have some disadvantages in it. I did not want to be bitter.”
Michael Peña Found Himself Working Alongside A-Listers
Slowly but surely, Peña built up his Hollywood resume. Initially, he mostly took small roles in film and guest roles in tv but in just a few years, the actor was starring with A-listers. In fact, one of his earliest films is the 2000 remake of Gone in 60 Seconds, which is headlined by Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie. Just a few years later, Peña also joined the cast of the Oscar-winning drama Million Dollar Baby, which stars Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, and Clint Eastwood.
From there, the big projects kept coming. Peña would go on to score a role in the 2006 drama Babel, which is headlined by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. He then reunited with Cage for Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center. Peña would also later work with Pitt again for the war drama Fury. Right before this though, the veteran actor was also cast in the Oscar-nominated crime drama American Hustle.
Meanwhile, during the same year that Peña made his MCU debut, the actor also starred in Ridley Scott’s The Martian with Jessica Chastain, Matt Damon, and Kristen Wiig. He was also cast in Collateral Beauty, which stars Will Smith, Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, and Helen Mirren.
Michael Peña Eventually Ventured Into Streaming Too
While taking a break from the MCU and other film projects, Peña starred in the Netflix original film Extinction. The streaming giant had acquired the movie from Universal after the latter took it off its release slate. Of Netflix’s move, Peña told The Guardian, “I heard Netflix has billions of dollars in acquisitions, and they’re really into sci-fi.”
That same year, the actor also served as a voice talent for the Netflix animated film Next Gen. In addition, he also had a stint in the Amazon Original series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.
Here’s Michael Peña’s $12 Million Net Worth Today
According to estimates, Peña is now worth a cool $12 million. It’s a figure the actor has amassed after years of starring in several blockbusters throughout his career. As far his lifestyle goes, it’s safe to say that Peña has been keeping it simple. Back in 2014, the actor revealed that he chose to stay in charming Los Feliz. “I’ve been here long enough to see Silver Lake has changed,” he even told Los Angeles Magazine. “It started off with a comic book store [sic], then slowly but surely these great places came in.”
Meanwhile, it also looks like Peña is going to be significantly adding to his net worth in no time. At the moment, the actor has at least two film projects in the works. As for the MCU, he also hasn’t ruled out making a return in time. “After my involvement in the first two Ant-Man movies, we really won’t even know what’s going to happen until one to two months before we film,” Peña told The Hollywood Reporter. “But, I’m still interested even though I have no idea what’s gonna happen, and I can’t wait to find out.”
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