55 years ago, this child played his only role in cinema. Today he still gets paid (a ridiculously tiny sum) for it

Peter Ostrum, who played Charlie Bucket in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, left Hollywood after turning down a three-picture deal.

He went on to study veterinary medicine at Cornell and spent decades working with horses and dairy cows before retiring in 2023.

Ostrum still receives tiny residual checks from the film, about $8 to $10 every three months, because of old profit-sharing contract terms.

His story highlights how legacy royalty formulas can leave performers with very small payments, a topic central to SAG-AFTRA debates over streaming and AI.