Forbes has once again released their list of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood and while the list hasn't changed a great deal in the last 12 months, the differences are quite notable. For starters, the name at the very top of the list, wasn't even on the list last year, and while Emma Stone's $26 million is plenty of money, it's also a fairly substantial drop from the number that took the top spot 12 months ago. Here are the top 10 (pre-tax) earners according to Forbes.
10. Amy Adams - $11.5 million9. Julia Roberts - $12 million8. Cate Blanchett - $12 million7. Charlize Theron - $14 million6. Emma Watson - $14 million5. Mila Kunis - $15.5 million4. Melissa McCarthy - $18 million3. Jennifer Lawrence - $24 million2. Jennifer Aniston - $25.5 million1. Emma Stone - $26 million
It was a big year for actresses named Emma, as both Stone and Watson are new to the list this year. It's not hard to guess why. Emma Stone won the Academy Award for her role in La La Land and Emma Watson starred in the biggest movie of 2017 so far, Beauty and the Beast. Both events make the women huge icons who are now in high demand and one can only assume they can now command much higher salaries for their films than they were previously.
In addition to the pair of newcomers to the list, there are also a pair of significant drops from 2016. Scarlett Johansson was number three on the list last year but failed to make the cut of the top ten this year. Also, Jennifer Lawrence was number one on the list last year, but with the Hunger Games franchise fading into the distance, her 2017 total was just over half what she made last year.
Due mostly to the fact that Jennifer Lawrence reportedly made so much less this year, it means that the total income of the women of the top ten is an overall decline compared to 2016. Emma Stone made the top of the list while still making $20 million less than Lawrence did.
Beyond those changes, the list looks pretty much the same as it did last year, with names like Charlize Theron, Melissa McCarthy, and Mila Kunis just making changes to where they find themselves on the list. Jennifer Aniston once again does very well for herself., Interestingly, Forbes points out that in Aniston's case, the majority of her impressive $25.5 million income comes from endorsement deals rather than salaries for acting performances.
Since we know women are routinely paid less than men in Hollywood, as they are most other places, unfortunately, it's important to show this success when it happens. It's also nice to see that a lot of names on the list are women over 40, proving that these women still have something to offer.
