Here’s a closer look at
the top-earning actresses for 2015:
1.) Jennifer Lawrence
– $52 million
When news of her absurdly
lucrative deal for Passengers broke earlier this year
(which blows away her co-star Chris Pratt’s salary), it was clear that Jennifer
Lawrence was playing in a different league. The actress is as hot as you can be
in Hollywood these days and kudos to her for cashing in. Her work on
the X-men and Hunger Games franchises helped earn her the
top spot on Forbes’ list,
and Lawrence continues to be a paradigm-shifting talent.
2.) Scarlett Johansson –
$35.5 million
No doubt the actress’ Avengers:
Age of Ultron paycheck helped land her finish as runner-up, and
endorsement deals from the likes of Dolce & Gabbana likely didn’t hurt
either. With two more projects filming, and one in post-production, the
sultry-voiced actress is showing no signs of slowing down, but it seems as
though nobody can catch the superstar in the top spot.
3.) Melissa McCarthy – $23 million
One of the top-billed stars of
the upcoming Ghostbusters reboot, McCarthy’s
meteoric rise through the ranks of Hollywood’s most bankable actresses began
with her iconic turn in Bridesmaids and she solidified herself
as a marquee name with starring roles in Tammy and Spy.
The funnywoman is also seriously involved in the fashion world, as her all-size
Seven7 clothing line provides her with yet another revenue stream.
4.) Bingbing Fan – $21
million
The only actress on the list
born outside of the U.S., the Chinese leading lady cleared a cool $21 million
in 12 months time. Stateside, Fan is best known for
playing Blink in X-Men: Days of Future Past, but movies such
as The White-Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom and a host of
endorsements in her home country helped land her on the list. Given her huge
payday, we had to resist the urge to add a couple of L’s to her name. Take a
look — we’ll wait.
5.) Jennifer Aniston – $16.5 million
The second highest-paid Jennifer
on the list, Aniston remains one of the most beloved actresses in Hollywood and
has parlayed her broad appeal into buku bucks. Cashing in is nothing new to the
former Friends star who — along with the rest of the show’s
ensemble cast — made headlines for the supersized salary she took home ($22
million) for the show’s final season. While she didn’t do quite as well in
2015, endorsements and a couple of major film roles (Horrible Bosses 2, Cake)
helped her land in the top five.
Other superstar leading
ladies rounding out the top ten include Julia Roberts ($16 million), Angelina
Jolie ($15 million), Reese Witherspoon ($15 million), Ann Hathaway ($12
million), and Kristen Stewart ($12 million). Cameron Diaz just barely slipped
out of the top 10 with $11 million.
Hope abounds that Jennifer
Lawrence’s massive paydays could one day help close the persistent pay gap
between actors and actresses in Hollywood, but for now, let’s just say congrats
to J-Law.