Dylan Sprouse has earned just five cents in residuals from The Suite Life of Zack + Cody.

The 34-year-old star and his twin brother Cole Sprouse began working in TV as infants and became household names at the age of 12 thanks to their roles on the Disney show, and though they worked very hard, Dylan has claimed they weren't particularly well paid.

Speaking to former co-star Phil Lewis on his own Wildmen podcast, Dylan said: "In terms of the channel higher-ups, we were also kind of weirdly the ugly duckling. We were extremely popular, but also extremely underfunded."

Phil claimed their contracts for The Suite Life of Zack + Cody - which ran from 2005 to 2008 before the spin-off show The Suite Life on Deck aired from 2008 to 2011 - stated that it didn't matter how many episodes were filmed in a calendar year, they would be considered a single season.

He said: "They called it one season because they didn't have to pay us bumps."

Dylan then revealed the shocking amount he had received in residual payments, the sum an actor receives when something is re-run beyond its original release.

He said: "Correct me if I'm wrong about this because, this is what I wanted to talk to you about, because this surprises people that I've told in person.

"And I don't ever think I've said this like out on an interview, but the only residual cheque I've ever received for the Suite Life at all was a crossover episode with Hannah Montana for five cents. I'm not joking."

The pair and Wildmen co-host Brendan Columbus then figured out that around 190 episodes of the Suite Life shows were made.

Dylan said: "In a time where residuals would have been great. Not a single paycheque for being arguably one of the most popular shows.

"Back then there weren't any streaming services, right? The only things you could watch were a certain amount of channels.

"And Disney Channel itself prided itself on being a channel where you could turn it on safely for kids, where there's no advertisements, there's no anything to cross over, and all you're going to watch are shows at that age demographic."

Phil noted the programme broadcast in 90 different countries and episodes were constantly being watched.

He said: "We were on four or five times a night because kids would just rewatch this. They put two episodes on on a Tuesday and they would run them just throughout the whole day."

Dylan previously claimed his early success was "child labour".

He said on his podcast: "It's child labour. When you work a career at that age, some kids used to work in coal mines and guard the minecart door when they were 15; we just sang and danced. It's still child labour."

The Beautiful Disaster actor noted he still has "some mental hurdles as an adult acting now in the same industry" and questioned whether he is always "chasing" acting like a child in his work.