14 DAY TRIAL // Named by The Associated Press, at the beginning of the year, the most sought-after actor of 2008, Will Smith continues to reign supreme in all charts. As revealed by the latest Forbes top, Smith is also the most valuable actor in all Hollywood at the moment, being like the secret recipe for a successful project, it is being said.
The Forbes Star Currency survey, which has included more than 1,400 working actors, only grants Will Smith a perfect 10 score in terms of being able to take a project and turn it into a genuine money-making machine. Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Angelina Jolie, all came in second place, each with a score of 9.89. Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson and Matt Damon round off the top 20 of the most valuable thespians in Hollywood.
Nevertheless, as Forbes points out, as valuable as these stars are, they cannot guarantee the success of a film. They can, granted, attract attention and more money to the project they’re working on, but, in the end, the way the film fares at the box-office is entirely up to the audience. As an example, Forbes named George Clooney, yet another very bankable name, and the box-office failure that was “Leatherheads,” one of his most recent films.
Oppositely, all of Will Smith’s latest films have proven immensely popular with the public, as also did those of the stars who came in second. This happened because, Forbes explains, they have “consistent muscle in attracting financing and generating global box office revenues. They also have hefty celebrity personas that grab press attention, creating valuable awareness for their projects. There’s a considerable amount of acting talent there, too.”
The criteria used when ranking the 1,400 stars who made it on Forbes’ list ranked from public appeal (see the genuine mass-media force that is the Brangelina couple), to talent and ability to attract investors and distributors. More specifically, the criteria included “their participation in a film, including the actor’s ability to attract significant financing to a project with their involvement; if their presence guarantees theatrical distribution; if they significantly drive theatrical box office performance; and if their involvement is an essential component in securing rights deals for revenue streams including DVD, pay/free TV, etc.” as Forbes shares.