It could be a big night for women at the Academy Awards on Sunday. Rachel Morrison, director of photography of “Mudbound,” is the first woman in the 90-year history of the Oscars to be nominated for cinematography. And Greta Gerwig, director of “Lady Bird,” could become the second woman in Oscar history to win best director.
“The star of this year’s Oscars is female empowerment,” Tom O’Neil, founder of awards website GoldDerby.com, tells Reuters. “A film with a female perspective has not won best picture since ‘Million Dollar Baby’ in 2005. This year, four of the nine nominated movies have a female perspective. That’s remarkable.”
Still, 77 percent of all Oscar nominees in behind-the-scene roles are men. And a Hollywood pay gap very much persists, even for A-listers.
According to Forbes, between June 1, 2016 and June 1, 2017, the world’s 10 highest-paid actresses made a combined $172.5 million. The 10 highest-paid actors earned more than double that amount: $488.5 million.
Mark Wahlberg topped the men’s ranking after earning $68 million over the 12-month period. The highest-paid actress, Emma Stone, earned less than half that amount: $26 million.
“Compared to men, in most professions, women make 80 cents to the dollar,” Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman tells Marie Claire. “In Hollywood we are making 30 cents to the dollar.”
Although some defenders of the system point out that the disparity could be chalked up to the fact that more men star in profitable action and superhero franchises, women often make less even in romantic comedies. Portman, for example, says she was paid three times less than her male co-star Ashton Kutcher for the 2011 movie “No Strings Attached.”
“I mean, we get paid a lot, so it’s hard to complain,” the star continues, “but the disparity is crazy.”
If you were to combine the two rankings, the 20 highest-paid actors in the world would include two Ryans, two Toms and just three women (two of whom, as it happens, are named Jennifer). Stone, Hollywood’s highest-paid woman, would barely crack the top 15.
Here’s the breakdown. All figures are pre-tax:
20. Jeremy Renner: $19 million
19. Matt Damon: $21 million
18. Ryan Reynolds: $21.5 million
17. Jennifer Lawrence: $24 million
16. Jennifer Aniston: $25.5 million
15. Emma Stone: $26 million
14. Ryan Gosling: $29 million
13. Samuel L. Jackson: $30.5 million
12. Tom Hanks: $31 million
11. Chris Hemsworth: $31.5 million
10. Akshay Kumar: $35.5 million
9. Salman Khan: $37 million
8. Shah Rukh Khan: $38 million
7. Tom Cruise: $43 million
6. Robert Downey Jr.: $48 million
5. Jackie Chan: $49 million
4. Adam Sandler: $50.5 million
3. Vin Diesel: $54.5 million
2. Dwayne Johnson: $65 million
1. Mark Wahlberg: $68 million
Here’s the full breakdown of the 10 highest-paid actresses:
10. Amy Adams: $11.5 million
8. Julia Roberts: $12 million (TIE)
8. Cate Blanchett: $12 million (TIE)
6. Charlize Theron: $14 million (TIE)
6. Emma Watson: $14 million (TIE)
5. Mila Kunis: $15.5 million
4. Melissa McCarthy: $18 million
3. Jennifer Lawrence: $24 million
2. Jennifer Aniston: $25.5 million
1. Emma Stone: $26 million
This is an update of a previously published article.
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