The World’s Highest Paid Actors and Actresses 2018

Forbes this week revealed the world’s highest paid actors and actresses 2018, with George Clooney topping the list for male actors with total earnings amassing to $239million between 1st June 2017 and 1st June 2018.

Clooney, whose acting career hasn’t seen him star in a box office mega-hit for years, reportedly earned most of his pay through his $700million-$1billion sale of Casamigos Tequila to British liquor conglomerate Diageo.

His total was close to $200million higher than the highest paid female actor listed by Forbes, with Scarlett Johansson taking the 2018 mantel from 2017’s highest earner Emma Stone, with Johansson’s pay reportedly $40.5million for the same 12 month period as Clooney’s.

The $40.5million total for Johansson is four times higher than her 2017 total, with her role in Avengers: Infinity War thought to be one of the reasons for the astronomical rise.

In a better sign for women in Hollywood, some 60% of the top 10 highest earning actresses according to Forbes are women over the age of 40, with the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie each taking their place in the top 5.

Here are the top 10 highest paid actresses in 2018: 

  1. Scarlett Johansson – $40.5million
  2. Angelina Jolie – $28million
  3. Jennifer Aniston – $19.5million
  4. Jennifer Lawrence – $18million
  5. Reese Witherspoon – $16.5million
  6. Mila Kunis – $16million
  7. Julia Roberts – $13million
  8. Cate Blanchett – $12.5million
  9. Melissa McCarthy – $12million
  10. Gal Gadot – $10million (debut)

It is expected that Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon will be the biggest contender to Johansson for the 2018 crown with each actress signed on for a new Apple TV show in which each will be paid approximately $1.25million per episode.

As for the men…

The top 10 highest paid actors 2018: 

  1. George Clooney – $239million
  2. Dwayne Johnson – $124million
  3. Robert Downey, Jr. – $81million
  4. Chris Hemsworth – $64.5million
  5. Jackie Chan – $45.5million
  6. Will Smith – $42million
  7. Akshay Kumar – $40.5million
  8. Adam Sandler – $39.5million
  9. Salman Khan – $38.5million
  10. Chris Evans – $34million

It comes as no surprise that three Avengers cast members make the list in the year of Infinity War, but the inclusion of two Bollywood actors turned producers – Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar – should be an indicator as to the growing presence of Bollywood on the world stage.

Though the totals worked out by Forbes include outside interests such as investments, product advertising etc. there remains a huge discrepancy between the money male and female stars are making at this time, with only Scarlett Johansson making enough money to earn a spot on a combined top 10, sitting at what would be number 8.

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