Dwayne Johnson is the highest-paid actor in the world, having earned $89.4 million before taxes last year, Forbes reports in its 2019 list of the highest-paid actors.
The list tallies on-screen and off-screen earnings between June 1, 2018 and June 1, 2019.
Johnson, whose millions came in part from his $23.5 million upfront salary for “Jumanji” and the $700,000 he earns for every episode of HBO’s “Ballers,” made significantly more than the highest-paid actress: Scarlett Johansson, with $56 million in earnings.
Cumulatively, the top female earners took home $315 million before fees and taxes. “That’s up 69% since last year,” Forbes notes, “but still far less than the almost $600 million the top 10 leading men pulled in.”
Many actresses are taking the pay gap into their own hands by producing their own projects, including Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman, who produce and star in the hit HBO series “Big Little Lies.” Witherspoon has her own production company, Hello Sunshine, which she started in 2012 “to create more roles for women onscreen and behind the scenes,” she wrote in an essay for Glamour.
Margot Robbie, the eighth highest-paid actress of 2019, also has a production company, LuckyChap Entertainment, which focuses on telling women-driven stories. One such project is “Birds of Prey,” a female-led superhero movie released on February 7, 2020, which Robbie stars in.
Seven of the top 10 highest-earning actresses of 2019 were producers of their own projects, Forbes reports.
Still, a significant pay gap exists. Here’s the breakdown of how much the 10 highest-paid actors earn, according to Forbes. All figures are pre-tax.
10. Will Smith: $35 million
9. Paul Rudd: $41 million
8. Chris Evans: $43.5 million
7. Adam Sandler: $57 million (tie)
6. Bradley Cooper: $57 million (tie)
5. Jackie Chan: $58 million
4. Akshay Kumar: $65 million
3. Robert Downey Jr.: $66 million
2. Chris Hemsworth: $76.4 million
1. Dwayne Johnson: $89.4 million
And here’s how much the 10 highest-paid actresses earn. All figures are pre-tax.
10. Ellen Pompeo: $22 million
9. Charlize Theron: $23 million
8. Margot Robbie: $23.5 million
7. Elisabeth Moss: $24 million
6. Kaley Cuoco: $25 million
5. Jennifer Aniston: $28 million
4. Nicole Kidman: $34 million
3. Reese Witherspoon: $35 million
2. Sofia Vergara: $44.1 million
1. Scarlett Johansson: $56 million
Three of the actresses who cracked the top 10 are up for Oscars this weekend: Scarlett Johansson for Best Actress for her role in “Marriage Story” and Best Supporting Actress for “Jojo Rabbit,” Charlize Theron for Best Actress for her role in “Bombshell” and Margot Robbie for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Bombshell.”
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