HOLLYWOOD—So many actors and actresses want to make it in Hollywood. The chances are very slim. There is a lot of competition. I’m not trying to discourage anyone’s dream, but it’s very hard to make it. Truth be told, if you don’t have an “in,” which literally means, it runs in the family, it will be difficult. In other words, your mother or father was a famous actor or actress.
Let’s face it, luck can be on your side, and you might be in the right place at the right time because reality is nothing, but a smack in the face when you meet it. Without discouraging anyone, let’s take a look at the world’s highest-paid actor, who earns more than the 10 highest-paid actresses combined.
George Clooney, every woman’s perfect man, before he got hitched, is the highest-paid actor in the world, having earned $239 million before taxes last year. According to Forbes’ 2018 list of top male earners, which tallied on-screen and off-screen between June 2017 and June 2018. His millions came from a lucrative business venture, endorsements and older movies.
Clooney’s earnings actually came from his tequila company, which he sold to Diageo for an estimated $1 billion, rather than from his onscreen gigs. Second place goes to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Men still make more than women. The third highest-paid actor is Robert Downey Jr. with $81 million. He’s known for his incredible career as an actor, including his work in “Iron Man,” “Sherlock Holmes,” and “The Avengers.” He’s racked up an impressive net worth of $300 million and is ranked number three, the fourth being Chris Hemsworth with $64.5 million, the fifth: Jackie Chan with $45.5 million. As of 2019, Chan has built a net worth estimated to be roughly $370 million.
Besides being an actor, he’s also a producer and director. He started his career as an actor at the age of five. His amazing performances have gained him an incredible net worth. In sixth place is Will Smith with $42 million. Keep in mind, that Smith was a millionaire before he turned 20. We know him from “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” and the “Men in Black”
films. Smith was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for his records breaking three premiers in 24 hours. Will Smith’s net worth is $300 million as of 2019, which makes him one of the highest paid actors in the movie industry.
In seventh place is Akshay Kumar with $39.5 million. Eighth is Adam Sandler with $39.5 million. Sandler became popular when one of his movies brought in $271 million at the box-office. The movie made it Sandler’s highest-grossing movie. His net worth is also around $300 million. In ninth place is Salman Khan with $38.5 million and in tenth place is Chris Evans with $34 million, all figures are pre-tax.
The top female earners took home $186 million before fees and taxes. Scarlett Johansson led the way with $40.5 million in earnings. Second place went to Angelina Jolie with $28 million, third place went to Jennifer Aniston with $19.5 million, fourth place went to Jennifer Lawrence at $18 million. Fifth place was Reese Witherspoon with $16.5 million, sixth place was Mila Kunis with $16 million. In seventh place was Julia Roberts with $13 million, eighth place was Cate Blanchett with $12.5 million. In ninth place was Melissa McCarthy with $12 million, and last but not least at tenth place was Gal Gadot with $10 million. Roles for women who are no longer young ingenues are few and far between. This is why, so many of them venture out and do endorsements, start their own business ventures. Women should have the same pay as men. Period.
One festival that will continue to champion female filmmakers is the Tribeca Film Festival that will take place April 24 through May 5, 2019. This past year, 46 percent of the feature films were directed by women-and will award the seventh annual Nora Ephron Award again to recognize a female writer or director whose work embodies the spirit and vision of the legendary filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron with a $25,000 prize.
Rose’s Scoop: Robert De Niro’s net worth is estimated at $300 million, no wonder it’s a difficult split from wife Grace Hightower. Let’s hope he will be in good spirits for the Tribeca Film Festival 2019.
