Guinness had a 2.25% interest in the revenue from Star Wars (1977), which would be the highest grossing movie at the time (and second only to Gone with the Wind (1939) when adjusted for inflation). Guinness had agreed to a 2% interest to make the film, but he reported that just before release during a telephone conversation
George Lucas had offered an additional 0.5% because of how supportive and helpful Guinness had been (with dialogue, other actors, etc.). After the release and stunning results at the box office, Guinness asked to confirm the additional 0.5% in writing, but was told it was (reduced to) 0.25%, although it is not clear who had decided this. This was revealed by Guinness in the 1977 interview with BBC's Michael Parkinson on the series "Talking Pictures". It was in general supported by many public comments by
Mark Hamill,
Harrison Ford and
Carrie Fisher all speaking highly of Guinness' professionalism and impact on the set. Apparently, Guinness did not quibble the 1977 worldwide revenue for Star Wars of $400+ million making Guinness' 2.25% probably around $9m for that year alone, with additional revenue well into 1979. In comparison, that exceeds other British actor high-water marks for
Sean Connery and
Roger Moore in the 1970s playing James Bond ($1m salary + $3-5m depending on revenue interests per film e.g. 5-12%).