The highest paid male actor in Hollywood is actually pretty surprising
Forbes has released their annual ranking of the world’s highest paid actors and actresses. From Hollywood to China to Bollywood, this year’s earning are astronomical. While Jennifer Lawrence is an obvious shoe-in for highest paid actress, the male side of things is a bit surprising. Brad Pitt, you might think? Tom Cruise?? Actually, neither.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has replaced Robert Downey Jr. as this past year’s top earner, and scored his biggest ever paycheck in the process.
His $64.5 million paycheck (!!!!) is double what he made last year and includes earnings from Central Intelligence and Fast 8, as well as his own HBO series Ballers and Disney’s upcoming Moana.
Johnson told Forbes that he, “can kick ass better than anyone on the planet. And I have a decent smile.” That is definitely true!
Second on the ranking, earning $61 million, was Jackie Chan. Matt Damon is third on the list with $55 million, mostly from The Martian. Finishing out the top five are Tom Cruise, who made $53 million, and Johnny Depp, who made $48 million.
Other notable earners include Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan at $33 million and Akshay Kumar at $31.5 mill, amassing the same amount as Brad Pitt.
While things look rosy at the top, it’s sad to note there’s still a gender pay gap. Jennifer Lawrence, the top earning actress for a second year in a row, only earned 71% of Johnson’s $64.5 million. Even the one percent have a pay disparity!
Still, despite the pay gap, it’s great to see a hard-working, hard-playing actor like Johnson on top. And we seriously can’t wait for Baywatch!
