14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier this year, Forbes magazine named Angelina Jolie the most powerful celebrity of the year. Now, coming to show that recession too makes some exceptions every once in a while, The Hollywood Reporter informs that Jolie remains the highest paid actress in Hollywood, as well as the only one who can actually get the salary she wants. The only other star who can do that is Will Smith, THR says.
Jolie is a highly bankable actress, with many a film showing that her name alone has enough star power to carry it towards box-office success even if, critically speaking, it might be somewhat of a failure. Other female stars are forced to ask for less money and, at the same time, accept whatever offers come their way, but Angelina Jolie can still command a $20 million paycheck, plus a percentage of the film’s international grossing.
So, she remains the only one untouched by recession, THR says on the occasion of the unveiling of the list of actress’ salaries over the past year. “The reigning box-office queen, Jolie earned a mid-$40 million payday, all in, from ‘Wanted,’ and her name on the marquee meant that ‘Changeling’ more than doubled its domestic gross overseas. As a result, she’s the one actress still commanding top dollar – as much as $20 million plus a percentage – for her next two high-octane projects: the dramatic thrillers ‘Salt’ and ‘The Tourist’,” THR explains.
Other actress are also pulling in the big bucks, the same publication explains, but their paychecks literally pale in comparison with the kind of money they used to make, say, a few years ago. Julia Roberts is the clearest example in this sense, being able to ask $15+ million for “Duplicity,” but only to lower her standard considerably for her next project, “Eat, Pray, Love,” for which she gets less than $10 million. Katherine Heigl, Cameron Diaz, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Meryl Streep and Sandra Bullock have also made the cut to the top 10 highest female earners in the movie industry, but their salary too has taken a serious hit with the current economy.
“The studios are routinely forcing talent to cut their quotes. […] Actresses who just a few years ago were considered $15 million players are now in flux. Even such recent Oscar winners as Cate Blanchett and Kate Winslet are hard-pressed to cross the $4 million mark. Oddly, veteran Meryl Streep seems a better bet, years after being considered box-office poison. Then again, who else could pull off that Julia Child accent?” THR says of the current situation actresses are in.