Hollywood’s Best Paid Actors: Salaries Are Skyrocketing


Hollywood’s best-paid actors are among the elite in the industry who demand high dollar contracts before they ever sign on to a project. There may not be any surprises on this list, considering some of these actors have been well-known now for several years, and they have starred in some of Hollywood’s best blockbuster films in recent history.

If you thought that being a celebrity actor or actress in Hollywood is easy, though, then you should take a step back and just consider how small the pool is of best-paid actors in Hollywood. Let’s just say that it is small enough that if you were to pack up your clothes and make a break for Hollywood, then you could be back home by the same time next Tuesday.

Recent reports of Hollywood’s best-paid actors, according to E! News, include actors like Bradley Cooper, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence and Sandra Bullock. For those who have been watching Bullock’s movies over the past two decades, then you know that she certainly has some staying power, and after winning her Academy Award, she did not walk away with the curse of the Oscar, which has happened to many actors over the years.

Did you know that Sandra Bullock, who is perhaps one of the best-paid actresses of all time in Hollywood, inked a deal with her contract to appear in Gravity alongside George Clooney that could fund a middle-class family for the next few generations? Before Bullock ever agreed to appear in the film, she signed on for a $20 million payday, and that does not include any residuals that may come in over the years from the movie.

But the producers for Gravity are not spending their days complaining, considering the film pulled in over $700 million worldwide. Therein lies the whole premise for Hollywood’s best paid actors. Their films are giving Hollywood a real return on their investment, which makes everyone happy, at least in the Hollywood industry.

Tom Cruise is also one of Hollywood’s best paid actors, and he has held that status, off and on, for nearly 30 years. In his latest Mission Impossible movie, Cruise pulled in over $20 million as well. But that still wasn’t enough to catch up with Leonardo DiCaprio, who demanded and received $25 million for his role in The Wolf of Wall Street.

Meanwhile, the younger star on Hollywood’s best paid list, at least younger in the sense that he just recently started picking up the best paid roles, Bradley Cooper, pulled in $15 million for his role in The Hangover III. But that pales in comparison to Robert Downey Jr., who just recently brought in a king’s ransom for his role in Captain America: Civil War. The Iron Man himself banked $40 million for playing Tony Stark in the film, and including residuals, he could earn enough from the film to live well for the next 50 years.

Angelina Jolie has always been among the Hollywood best paid, but her demands have been a little more modest than others. She was reportedly paid $15 million for her title role in Maleficent. But Jolie has always found herself among Hollywood’s best paid actors, and when others on this list drop off, Jolie could still be right there pulling in her modest hauls and living the good life with her family in tow.

The youngest actress on Hollywood’s best paid list, as you may already know, is Jennifer Lawrence, who banked $10 million on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. But something tells us that Lawrence is taking the high road, much like Jolie and going for the modest salaries that will ensure she stays on the best paid list for many decades to come.

[Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images]

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