playing the role of the woman who had to say a few lines (this is not to say that her speaking parts weren’t extremely significant to the video, because I think they were), flirted and walked alongside Michael Jackson in one of the most popular music videos in the world. I’m not knocking Ola Ray’s contributions to the “Thriller” video at all, because I think she was the perfect person for it and she deserves her $75 grand in my humble opinion. On the flip side, $75K obviously won’t even put a slight dent in MJ’s account, but there are many model/actresses who would have taken a flat rate fee and been happy because they would have been embracing an opportunity of a lifetime by starring in the Thriller video because it would have given their careers a major boost that they still could have benefit from 30 years later. Obviously, Ola Ray had a great team of people around her who weren’t trying to hear a flat fee dollar amount. Instead they made sure she juiced her Thriller appearance for everything it was worthed and we can’t be mad at her for that one bit.
Overall, I’m glad Ola Ray finally got the money she was owed, because the bottom line is a contract is a contract and it must honored. I still love me some Ola Ray!
Here are a 5 really interesting tidbits of info about Ola Ray and MJ:
1. Ola Ray was hand picked by Michael Jackson to be his video “girlfriend” and guess where he selected her from? The Playboy Magazine. He pointed to her…
I beg to differ. She was no video model. She acted in this video. She put in some work. Please don’t judge her by today’s video models. They don’t even compare. She deserves the money and Michael thought so too!
Thanks for your feedback Beaushan. This article was not an attempt to judge or downplay Ola Ray’s contributions to the biggest video in the history of music, that’s why we gave her props and stated that she was the perfect person for the job. She is a model who has also had a few acting roles throughout her career, so yes that does make her an actress also, but she spent the bulk of her career as a model. In fact it was a modeling spread that landed her the role as the premiere video model for the “Thriller” video. You’re right, she also acted in the video, just as other models have done. It’s just that Ola Ray’s acting time was more extended in this because the “Thriller” video was just about as long as a short mini movie. By the way, this article wasn’t comparing her to video models of just one particular era, because we can compare her to video models of the 80’s era who were in videos like Lionel Richie’s “Hello” video where the video model was acting as if she was a blind ballet dancer and art student, but she is also clearly an actress as well. Ola Ray has many talents and being a model and an actress are included. So you see Beaushan, this was in no way intended to take away from the dynamic performance Ola Ray gave in the “Thriller” video, we were just stating the facts: that most women/actresses/models, etc. do not typically get paid royalties for appearing in a video and for that reason, I think Ola Ray played the game really smart. I don’t think they could have cast a better woman for the part. Thanks for joining the convo.’
I beg to differ. She was no video model. She acted in this video. She put in some work. Please don’t judge her by today’s video models. They don’t even compare. She deserves the money and Michael thought so too!
Thanks for your feedback Beaushan. This article was not an attempt to judge or downplay Ola Ray’s contributions to the biggest video in the history of music, that’s why we gave her props and stated that she was the perfect person for the job. She is a model who has also had a few acting roles throughout her career, so yes that does make her an actress also, but she spent the bulk of her career as a model. In fact it was a modeling spread that landed her the role as the premiere video model for the “Thriller” video. You’re right, she also acted in the video, just as other models have done. It’s just that Ola Ray’s acting time was more extended in this because the “Thriller” video was just about as long as a short mini movie. By the way, this article wasn’t comparing her to video models of just one particular era, because we can compare her to video models of the 80’s era who were in videos like Lionel Richie’s “Hello” video where the video model was acting as if she was a blind ballet dancer and art student, but she is also clearly an actress as well. Ola Ray has many talents and being a model and an actress are included. So you see Beaushan, this was in no way intended to take away from the dynamic performance Ola Ray gave in the “Thriller” video, we were just stating the facts: that most women/actresses/models, etc. do not typically get paid royalties for appearing in a video and for that reason, I think Ola Ray played the game really smart. I don’t think they could have cast a better woman for the part. Thanks for joining the convo.’