Woman Reveals How Much Her 7-Month-Old Son Was Paid Each Day for Role on TV Show (Exclusive)

Meredith WilshereSat, August 22, 2026 at 9:29 AM UTC

0

William ThompsonCredit: Amanda Thompson -

Amanda Thompson’s baby William appeared on a Netflix show after she found the opportunity in a local Facebook group

Thompson says the production prioritized child safety with strict rules and a dedicated baby nurse on set

All of William’s earnings, including $360 minimum daily pay, are saved in an account for his future

Amanda Thompson never thought she’d see her son on the small screen, but says the opportunity to have 7-and-a-half-month-old William on TV “came up unexpectedly.”

Thompson, 31, tells PEOPLE she came across the acting opportunity in a local Facebook group for models, actors, and background performers — and they were looking for babies around William’s age. Thompson “thought it sounded like such a fun and unique experience for our family,” and figured there was no harm in submitting him and seeing what happened.

Before they knew it, he landed a role onVirgin River.

“At his age, he obviously had no idea he was ‘acting,’” she says. “He was just being himself, so for us it was really about getting to experience something completely outside of our normal, everyday life.”

“I also remember thinking, ‘How many people get to say they were on a Netflix show before they could even talk?’ As long as he was happy, comfortable and well cared for, it felt like one of those opportunities that would make for such a cool story to tell him when he’s older.”

While on set, Thompson got to meet and connect with the crew and other actors on the show, which she says gave her “a whole new appreciation for how much work goes into movie and television production.”

William ThompsonCredit: Amanda Thompson

“I also ended up connecting with another mom, Alyssa, who was working on the same show with her son, Tatum, who is a little younger than William,” she shares. “Even though both of our babies have now aged or sized out of that particular role, we’ve stayed in touch, which has been such a nice unexpected part of the experience.”

She shares that while there wasn’t anything that felt “particularly difficult” about on-set life, there was a lot of sitting around and waiting.

“William’s routine really wasn’t disrupted by filming. Babies work in very short windows, followed by long breaks, so there was plenty of time in between scenes for him to eat, nap and just be a baby,” she says. “We also had our own air-conditioned trailer on set, which gave us a quiet, comfortable place to go during downtime.”

“Once we figured out our rhythm, he was still getting his regular naps and his normal routine stayed surprisingly consistent throughout the experience,” Thompson adds.

Thompson shares that William was paid the “special talent rate for each day on set,” which works out to a little over $360 for each eight-hour day — regardless of whether they were actually on set for the full eight hours.

In fact, she says one day they were only there for about an hour and a half, but he still received the full-day rate. He was on set for 13 days.

“Apparently, being a baby is a special talent,” Thompson, who is mom to four, says.

All of the money William earned, she emphasizes, has gone directly into a separate account under his name. As of now, they are planning to use it for his college fund.

Advertisement

While she doesn’t judge parents who do take management fees from their children’s earnings, she says, “I just can’t justify doing that.”

“As a stay-at-home mom, I don’t really have additional expenses associated with being on set with him all day, and I’m fortunate that my husband provides for me and our family,” she says. “I’m also lucky to have several family members who live nearby and were able to help with my older children on days when there were scheduling conflicts, which made the whole experience much easier for us.”

She detailed the experience on her TikTok account, and the video went viral, amassing 1.3 million views.

She notes that a lot of the comments came from misconceptions about babies working in television or film.

“People sometimes picture parents dropping their babies off on set for the day and picking them up afterward, but that couldn’t be further from the reality,” she says. “We are with them the entire time. When William was filming a scene, it was usually for a very short window of time, followed by a significant break.”

“While they were shooting, I was standing no more than about 10 feet away, usually right behind the monitors watching everything,” she continues. “I was also the person physically handing him to the actor before a take and taking him back afterward. There was never a point where he was out of my sight.”

William ThompsonCredit: Amanda Thompson

She emphasizes that there “are a lot of rules and protections in place for children, and the production was very conscious of anything that could potentially feel exploitative or uncomfortable.”

A “baby nurse” was also on set with them the entire time.

“She can get us anything we need, step in if she notices a baby is being held improperly during a scene, and generally act as an advocate and middleman for us on set,” Thompson recalls. “Having someone whose role is specifically focused on the child’s well-being made me feel much more comfortable.”

Thompson says it was never their motivation for William to become famous.

“For us, it seemed like a unique opportunity, a way for William to earn some money that we could put aside for his future, and a really cool story and experience for him to have when he’s older,” she insists. “Being part of the production and seeing firsthand how many protections were in place made me feel much more confident about the experience as a whole.”

Despite the fun experience, Thompson says she “doesn’t really have a preference” if William becomes an actor later in life.

“Since working on the project, he does have an agent now for future opportunities, and I’m happy to let him continue as long as he is comfortable and enjoying the experience. If it becomes something he wants to pursue as he gets older, we’ll support that, but there’s absolutely no pressure from us,” Thompson shares.

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”