Emma Stone has achieved another milestone. Less than six months after winning the Academy Award for Best Actress, the “La La Land” star took the top spot on Forbes’ annual list of the world’s highest-paid actresses. Stone earned $26 million before tax over 12 months, most of which came from “La La Land’s” box office earnings. She is also the “the biggest dollar and percent gainer, year over year, of anyone” on this year’s list.
It’s fitting to see Stone top the list, as she has recently been outspoken about the gender pay gap in Hollywood. “In my career so far, I’ve needed my male co-stars to take a pay cut so that I may have parity with them. And that’s something they do for me because they feel it’s what’s right and fair,” she revealed. “That’s something that’s also not discussed, necessarily — that our getting equal pay is going to require people to selflessly say, ‘That’s what’s fair.’ If my male co-star, who has a higher quote than me but believes we are equal, takes a pay cut so that I can match him, that changes my quote in the future and changes my life.”
With $25.5 million, Jennifer Aniston ranks at №2 on the list. Most of her take comes from endorsement deals with companies like Emirates airlines, Smartwater, and Aveeno. Last year’s top-earner, Jennifer Lawrence, is third with $24 million. Her upcoming roles in films like “mother!” contributed to her bottom line, as did her endorsement deal with Dior.
Of the 10 top-earning actresses Forbes spotlights, none are women of color. While international stars like Charlize Theron, Emma Watson, and Cate Blanchett made the list, Asian actresses Fan Bingbing and Deepika Padukone “dropped off due to quieter years.”
Only Watson, the №6 earner, is new to the list. The success of Disney’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast,” in which Watson portrayed Belle, is the main force behind the actress’ $14 million income this year.
Next week, Forbes will publish its list of highest-paid actors — who usually earn much, much more than the women on the actresses’ list. Last year, Lawrence was №1 with $46 million. Her male counterpart was Dwayne Johnson, who was №1 with $64.5 million. Lawrence made just 71 percent of Johnson’s pay and actually earned less than the fifth highest-paid actor, Johnny Depp ($48 million).
Here are 2017's highest-earning actresses, courtesy of Forbes:
- Emma Stone: $26 million
- Jennifer Aniston: $25.5 million
- Jennifer Lawrence: $24 million
- Melissa McCarthy: $18 million
- Mila Kunis: $15.5 million
- Emma Watson: $14 million
- Charlize Theron: $14 million
- Cate Blanchett: $12 million
- Julia Roberts: $12 million
- Amy Adams: $11.5 million
