Kristen Stewart Named Highest-Paid Actress in Hollywood

According to Forbes, Kristen Stewart earned an estimated $34.5 million from May 2011 to May 2012! The mag compiled the list and estimated salaries by talking to agents, managers and lawyers and based earnings on pay, profits, residuals, endorsements and advertising work. The journalists talked to manager, agents, lawyers and other in-the-know folks to come up with our estimates.

Forbes reports Kristen Stewart is the highest-paid actress in Hollywood.

So, K-Stew can demand as much as $12.5 million or so per film. Twilight co-stars Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner make the same for each film in that series, but Stewart out-earned them by jumping in Snow White and the Huntsman.

Dorothy Pomerantz, Forbes Los Angeles bureau chief commented:

She (Stewart) is an up-and-coming star. She is earning a lot of money from one of the most successful franchises of all time. This is who you would expect to see right now. This year you are seeing somebody young and at the brink of potentially great stardom sitting on the top of the list.”

Cameron Diaz, whose Bad Teacher brought $216 million at the global box office, came in second with $34 million. Plus she plays in What to Expect When You’re Expecting and The Green Hornet.

Sandra Bullock‘s most recent film, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, was not a box office hit but the actress is still in demand – she is on the third place. Her 2009 film, The Blind Side was the kind of massive hit studios dream about. Bullock got plenty of attention this year away from the big screen for her outings with her young son, Louis.

Angelina Jolie, who topped last year’s list along with Sarah Jessica Parker, dropped to the fourth spot with earnings of $20 million while Charlize Theron, Stewart’s co-star in Snow White and the Huntsman who also appears in Prometheus, trailed at $18 million, and rounded out the top five places.

Charlize Theron is in the middle of a major career surge that kicked off with the 2011 movie Young Adult. The film might not have earned a lot of money (it brought in only $23 million) but it gave Theron the kind of buzz she hasn’t had in several years. Following up with Snow White and the Huntsman and Prometheus didn’t hurt. Theron is also the high-profile face of Dior.

Another queen in our list – Julia Roberts. The actress has reached that age where many actresses struggle to find good roles. Instead of taking everything that’s offered to her, Roberts has been picky about her projects but even those haven’t performed so well. Larry Crowne which costarred Tom Hanks, earned only $52 million. Mirror, Mirror, a retelling of the Snow White tale, did better with $135 million but cost an estimated $85 million to produce.

Sarah-Jessica Parker, whose 2011 film I Don’t Know How She Does It was atotal flop and brought only $30 million at the worldwide box office, slipped to seventh place with a $15 million salary. Pomerantz said:

She is almost earning more from her perfume and endorsement deals right now than from entertainment. That is true of a lot of women. They have these outside deals that are very lucrative. Angelina Jolie earns a lot from residuals, as does Sarah Jessica Parker.”

The most nominated actress of all time, Meryl Streep won her third Academy Award this year for The Iron Lady, a biopic about former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. At the age of 62, Streep has an enviable career. She works consistently and balances smaller, award-worthy films with more mainstream fare like Hope Springs.

The Saturday Night Live star‘s Bridesmaids earned more money than anyone thought it would: $288 million on an estimated budget of $32 million. Wiig, who just left SNL, followed up Bridesmaids with the tiny Friends With Kids but next Christmas she’ll co-star in her first big-budget film, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, with Ben Stiller.

Jennifer Aniston just made the list, earning an $11 million salary. Aniston’s biggest recent movie was Just Go With It, an Adam Sandler vehicle featuring Aniston as the nice girl. But she earned more praise for Horrible Bosses. The former Friend got plenty of press this year thanks to her new relationship with actor Justin Theroux whom she met on the set of Wanderlust.

The top 10 actresses earned a total of $200 million, according to Forbes.com, a lot less than the $361 million total that the 10 highest-earning men made. Pomerantz said:

It is nowhere near what men are making. I think it will be a while until women see salary parity, if it ever happens. Women are paid less in every industry, not just in Hollywood.”

Hollywood’s Highest-Paid Actresses

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