“Everybody's a dreamer and everybody's a star, and everybody's in the movies, it doesn't matter who you are,” goes the lyrics of the song ‘ Celluloid Heroes ,’ by The Kinks. However, the male-dominated world of showbiz is set for a change, with actresses leaving a bigger pecuniary footprint on Hollywood Boulevard’s iconic Walk of Fame.
Cumulatively, the world’s 10 highest paid actresses raked in $172.5 million between June, 2017, and the same month from the previous financial year. The glitzy, make believe world of La La Land in which Emma Stone essayed the role of a struggling actress, has been kind to her in real life. Stone banked $26 million pretax in the 12-month scoring period.
Despite a lean year in terms of movie releases, Jennifer Aniston comes a close second with earning amounting to $25.5 billion on the back of endorsement deals with the likes of Emirates airlines, Coca-cola subsidiary Smartwater, and Aveeno. The sale of her stake in the hair-care line Living Proof, to Unilever for an undisclosed amount in December 2016, added to the Friends actress’ windfall gains this year.
Jennifer Lawrence, who took the crown last year, has been displaced to third spot, while comedienne Melissa McCarthy, Mila Kunis, and Emma Watson round up the top six. Watson, who starred in the year’s highest grossing film, Beauty and the Beast, is a debutant to this list.
The inflationary trends observed in Hollywood should not be seen as a one-off. A study titled Comprehensive Annenberg Report on Diversity in Entertainment, that was published in 2016, found that female characters fill only 28.7% of all speaking roles in film.
Among all forms of dissemination of video content, film was found to be less likely than broadcast or cable to show women aged 40 or older. Streaming was the most likely, with females filling 33.1% of roles for middle age and elderly characters.
Actresses are not alone in demanding parity in reimbursement. Celebrities like tennis star Serena Williams and Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, have also railed for equal pay.
While the earnings of top actresses have spiked, Hollywood is still far from achieving an even playing field for those who throng to the sun dappled shores of Los Angeles in search of fame and fortune.
The stellar box office returns of women-centric films such as Wonder Woman and Girls Trip might turn out to be a bellwether for change in the El Dorado of the cinematic universe where the wage gap between the sexes is shrinking, albeit at snail’s pace.
1. Emma Stone ($26 million) - Emma Stone is the world's highest-paid actress. Stone, 28, who won best actress for her role as a struggling actress in La La Land, made $26 million in pre-tax earnings, according to Forbes' calculations over a 12-month period from June 2016 to June 2017.
8. Cate Blanchett ($12 million) - The Australian actress returns to the rankings thanks to a “one for me, one for them,” approach, countering Oscar fodder Carol with more commercially lucrative films like her forthcoming Marvel flick Thor: Ragnarok.
8. Julia Roberts ($12 million) - Money Monster may not have fared well, but the forthcoming movie advances and endorsement deals have assured this pretty woman of a hefty payday.
10. Amy Adams ($11.5 million) - The five-time Oscar nominee earned both kudos and cash by balancing box office returns with critically acclaimed films such as Arrival.
2. Jennifer Aniston ($25.5 million) - The former Friends star continues to bank millions thanks to her roles in movies such as The Yellow Birds and mostly from endorsement deals.
3. Jennifer Lawrence ($24 million) - Even without a Hunger Games movie, Jennifer Lawrence makes the cut from upfront fees for Darren Aronofsky’s forthcoming mother!, and Red Sparrow.
5. Melissa McCarthy ($18 million) - Mike and Molly may be off air, but the Ghostbusters star is still pocketing paychecks of upcoming projects such as Life of the Party.
5. Mila Kunis ($15.5 million) - Following the success of Bad Moms - and with a sequel in the works - Mila Kunis is very much popular with most producers.
6. Emma Watson ($14 million) - A newcomer to the highest-paid ranking, Emma Watson has Beauty and the Beast and The Circle to thank for her appearance on the list.
6. Charlize Theron ($14 million) - Despite positive review for her self-produced venture Atomic Blonde, the movie had a mixed opening at the box office, limiting her compensation. The South Africa born actress still deposited paychecks from Dior, and appearance fees.