Hollywood might look glamorous from the outside, but the real power shows up in the paychecks. Every year, a handful of actresses pull in numbers that make the rest of us double-check if we’re reading them right. Here’s a look at the 25 actresses who currently sit at the top of the earnings ladder.
Emma Stone
The Oscar winner is one of the most iconic young actresses in the industry, and in her top year, 2017, she earned over $26 million thanks to the success of La La Land. She has a net worth of over $60 million.
Margot Robbie
Margot Robbie’s most successful year came in 2023, when she played Barbie in the highest-grossing film of the year. She earned over $60 million that year to add to her net worth of over $100 million.
Zendaya
The queen of both the golden and silver screens. Zendaya’s earnings are split between her roles on Euphoria, Spider-Man, and many others. She earns over a million dollars per episode and commands a $10 million price tag for her movie roles.
Sandra Bullock
Sandra has been a Hollywood mainstay for a while. For her role in Gravity, she earned over $70 million, which is the highest payday for any actress in the history of the industry.
Melissa McCarthy
During particularly busy years such as 2021, Melissa McCarthy earned as much as $25 million. Her earnings are split through various different roles, but she knows how to rack in the cash.
Gal Gadot
In 2020, Gal Gadot was at the top of the world. She earned over $30 million, mainly due to her contracts with the DC Extended Universe and roles in various Netflix movies.
Eva Green
Eva Green is known for her roles in movies like Casino Royale, Penny Dreadful, and Nightmare Alley. In her top years, she earns as much as $10 million, which is decent for someone not exactly considered an A-lister.
Rachel Weisz
One of the most critically acclaimed actresses in Hollywood, the Oscar winner pulls in an average of $8 million per year for her roles.
Rachel McAdams
She went from Mean Girl to Doctor Strange’s girlfriend, and she pulls in an estimated $3 million for each role.
Kaley Cuoco
Very few actresses on this list are known primarily for one role, but Kaley Cuoco managed to make the most out of her role as Penny in The Big Bang Theory, earning over $1 million per episode. For a show that lasted so long, it’s not a bad paycheck.
Anna Taylor Joy
Anna Taylor Joy’s roles have racked in hundreds of millions of dollars, and she herself as a price tag of over $5 million per role.
Jennifer Garner
Jennifer Garner is the perfect example of keeping a low profile and still making big bucks. She reportedly earns over $1 million an episode for TV shows, and she can easily rake in millions for her movie roles.
Anne Hathaway
One of the most time-tested actresses in Hollywood right now, Anne Hathaway is an entire brand, and she reportedly commands $10-$20 million per movie role.
Emily Blunt
Known for her roles in movies such as Oppenheimer, A Quiet Place, and Mary Poppins Returns, Emily Blunt earns over $20 million a year. She reportedly has a base salary of $12 million per role.
Meryl Streep
The greatest prestige actress in Hollywood. The multiple-time Oscar winner earns an estimated $8 million per role, and considering how many movies she’s done, I’m sure she’s living a very comfortable life.
Angelina Jolie
She is easily one of the most powerful names in the history of Hollywood. Combining both her beauty and acting chops, she rakes in over $20 million per role and earns, on average, $35 million per year.
Jennifer Lawrence
One of the youngest winners of the Academy Award for Best Actress, Jennifer Lawrence earns an estimated $15-20 million per role.
Scarlet Johanssen
From her rom-com roles to Black Widow, ScarJo earned $15 million for each Marvel movie she appeared in (8), and millions more from her other roles.
Sofia Vergara
This Colombian beauty made over $500,000 per episode for her role as Gloria in Modern Family. While that not be as high as some other actresses, when you see just how many episodes the show has, it starts to make sense why she’s on the list.
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron is a regular name in blockbuster movies. The South African beauty earns an estimated $23 million per year from her major movie roles, and her endorsement deals add millions more to the mix.
Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek’s various roles on HBO Max, along with residual earnings from her older movies, earn her a whopping $40 million per year.
Sarah Jessica Parker
We know her as Carrie, but she’s still earning the big bucks after all those years. She earns $1 million per season in royalties from SATC and continues earning more from her endorsement deals.
Nicole Kidman
While Nicole Kidman is known for many blockbuster movie roles, her biggest pay came from her $1-million-an-episode role in Big Little Lies. She has annual earnings of over $34 million.
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston still earns tens of millions of dollars every year from her role as Rachel on Friends, as royalties. On top of that, her roles on Apple TV+ shows and various Netflix roles add up her earnings to over $42 million per year.
Reese Witherspoon
This Hollywood icon earns an all-time high of $2 million per episode from her role on The Morning Show. But on top of all that, she’s a successful businesswoman who sold her media company Hello Sunshine for over $900 million.
