Forbes have come up with a list of the 10 most profitable actors in Hollywood at the moment, now don’t confuse this list with the most paid actors because this is based on how much money the movie studio makes back for every dollar they paid the actors.
10. Sarah Jessica Parker, $17
When it comes to Sex and the City movies, Sarah Jessica Parker is a great investment. In other movies, not so much. Her 2009 film Did You Hear About the Morgans earned an anemic $85 million at the global box office. Compare that with her two Sex and the City movies, which have earned a total $705 million.
9. Nicolas Cage, $17
Cage makes our list mostly thanks to the 2009 film Knowing, which earned a healthy $184 million on an estimated budget of $50 million. The budget was able to stay low because the producers went with Cage over someone who would have cost much more like Will Smith or Johnny Depp.
8. Johnny Depp, $18
Depp is the rare actor on our list who earns more than almost every actor in Hollywood but still manages to offer a good return on investment. That’s because his films do phenomenally. Alice in Wonderland has earned $1 billion. Public Enemies brought in $215 million. As long as he continues to be a major draw overseas and his films keep performing, Depp will continue to get one of the highest paydays in Hollywood.
7. Meryl Stree, $21
The actress (2008′s most profitable actress) proves again and again that age and gender do not determine box-office draw. Mamma Mia earned $610 million at the global box office. It’s Complicated brought in $220 million. As soon as Streep starts earning the same as her male peers, she’ll likely work her way off of our list.
6. Jennifer Aniston, $21
Another woman on our list: Jennifer Aniston (2007′s most profitable actress). The star makes a surprising appearance in sixth place with a $21 return for every $1 she is paid. (She’s tied with Meryl Streep.) Although one of her included movies, Love Happens, was a huge flop, He’s Just Not that Into You and The Bounty Hunter (with $136 million at the global box office on an estimated budget of $40 million) actually did well.
5. Cate Blanchett, $27
The actress has played the female lead in two recent high-grossing films: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Robin Hood (which brought in $310 million despite a weak opening). In both cases she earned significantly less than her male costars, which is why Blanchett makes our top 10 list while Russell Crowe and Brad Pitt do not.
4. Robert Downey Jr., $33
It wasn’t so long ago that Downey (2008′s most profitable actor) was a Hollywood pariah because of his drug and alcohol problems. That helped shrink his quote when he started his comeback in 2008 with the first Iron Man. Since then he’s starred in some of the highest-grossing films of the past few years, including Sherlock Holmes ($517 million) and Iron Man 2 ($622 million) while his payday has stayed relatively low.
3. Daniel Radcliffe, $61
The Harry Potter movies are the kind of high-budget films that would usually hurt an actor on this list unless he was earning under $10 million total. But Radcliffe lands in third place (with a $61 return for ever dollar he earns) because the films earn so much money. The entire franchise has so far brought in $5.4 billion at the global box office making his growing salary seem like a drop in the bucket.
2. Anne Hathaway, $64
For the sake of our return on investment list, being a woman in Hollywood is a good thing. They tend to earn less so when their films hit, they offer a good return. Hathaway lands so high on our list thanks to Alice in Wonderland. For every dollar she earns studios earn $64 off of her films. Most of that payback is coming from Alice. The Disney 3-D film was a gigantic hit earning $1 billion at the global box office, and Hathaway earned much less than star Johnny Depp. But she also benefits from 2009′s Bride Wars, which was a modest hit earning $115 million at the global box office on a low estimated budget of $30 million.
1. Shia LaBeouf, $81
LaBeouf tops our list for the second year in a row thanks to his relatively low-paid work in high-earning films like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and the second Transformers movie. As his box office grows so will his quote, which means it will be harder for him to stay at the top of our list unless his films earn proportionally more money. When LaBeouf starred in the first Transformers movie in 2007, Viacom’s Paramount Studio was able to pay him under $5 million. It had to bump that up considerably for the second film (which earned $833 million in 2009), but LaBeouf still isn’t earning $20 million upfront to star in a picture.
As a result, he offers a great return on investment. For every $1 studios spend on the 24-year-old actor his films return an average $81 of profit. For our list this year LaBeouf also benefits from the fourth Indiana Jones film, which earned $790 million in 2008. George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford split the bulk of the profits from that movie leaving LaBeouf as a profitable costar. As the actor’s fame (and box-office earnings) increase he’ll be able to demand more for each film which will hurt his return on investment number unless the films are gigantic blockbusters. That could be the case with the next Transformers movie. LaBeouf was able to ask for more money upfront but because the movie is being filmed in 3-D, it should earn even more than Transformers 2.
source: Hollywood’s Best Actors For The Buck [Forbes]
Sometimes in Hollywood a script calls for actresses to tone down their makeup or gain a bit of weight, which leads us to this list. Now I don’t think any of these actresses are that ugly in the roles they play, some of them are just wearing barely any makeup but some of them do look a bit like death.
20. Katherine Heigl
Katherine toned down her stunning looks to play the plain Jane in ’27 Dresses.’ Are we really supposed to believe that a dishwater-blond dye job is supposed to make Hiegl “ugly”?
19. Drew Barrymore
Drew played the dorky Josie Geller in ‘Never Been Kissed’ but ugly clothes, no make-up and a dorky hairdo couldn’t hide the fact she was a stunning woman.
18. Linda Cardellini
Linda is stunning but she often plays homely characters. She tried her best to convince us that she was an ugly nerd as Velma in 2002′s ‘Scooby-Doo.’ Unfortunately for Linda, we can see past those hideous wedges and wig to know she is actually gorgeous in real life.
17. Christina Ricci
Christina is so cute that the only way to make her homely is to stick on a disgusting pig nose onto her face. Ricci played the unfortunately-nosed title character of the film ‘Penelope.’
16. America Ferrera
Perhaps the most common example of a pretty actress who plays ugly is America in her role as Betty in ‘Ugly Betty.’ Again, dowdy clothes and nerdy accessories are brought in to turn the stunning America into a (sort of believable) nerd, but we all know that America is gorgeous in real life.
15. Cameron Diaz
Cameron played the homely Lotte in ‘Being John Malkovich’ with the aid of a frizzy wig and brown eye contacts. Because we all know how brown eyes/curly hair equals homely!
14. Anne Hathaway
If there is ever a “makeover” scene in a film you can guarantee that the pre-makeover character will be wearing glasses and ugly clothes. So it is no surprise that Anne had to get ugly for her breakout role in ‘The Princess Diaries.’
13. Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett is lusted after by almost every man in America but men weren’t exactly clamoring for her attention in her breakout role as am awkward, snarky teenager in ‘Ghost World.’
12. Tina Fey
Every Thursday Tina tries to convince us that she is the unattractive Liz Lemon on NBC’s ’30 Rock.’ Sure, trying to pass off Fey as ugly is pretty unbelievable but the show is funny enough for us to ignore this ridiculous element.
11. Michelle Williams
Michelle typically plays “pretty girl” roles but in the indie film ‘Wendy and Lucy’ she tried her best to look homely. We guess all it takes to look ugly is to have an unfortunate short haircut and an unflattering pair of jorts.
10. Nicole Kidman
Nicole popped on a fake nose to get “ugly” to play Virginia Woolf in ‘The Hours.’ Despite how the film portrayed her, Woolf was actually a celebrated beauty during her time. But “pretty” doesn’t translate to “Oscar” for Hollywood actresses.
9. Chloe Sevigny
Chloe is known for her good looks and fashionable taste off-camera but she dialed up the dowdiness for Nikki Grant in HBO’s ‘Big Love.’ It is hard to make a pompadour and a French braid look cute, but Chloe somehow finds a way to make it work.
8. Jenna Fisher
Jenna scrunched her hair with a full can of mousse to make us believe she was the plain Pam in NBC’s ‘The Office.’ That hairstyle and boring office clothing could make even the most gorgeous woman look plain.
7. Elisabeth Moss
Pretty Elisabeth got the world’s worst bangs to play the unattractive but ambitious Peggy Olson in AMC’s ‘Mad Men.’ Again, Hollywood’s answer to make pretty actresses unattractive is a horrible haircut.
6. Kaitlin Olson
Kaitlin tries her best to come off as unattractive as Dee Reynolds in ‘It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’ but we can all tell she is stunning when not dressed up to look like a white trash slob. Why are so many leading women in comedy shows forced to play ugly?
5. Hilary Swank
Hilary is a stunning woman but she made us believe she was a dowdy transgendered man for her Oscar-winning role in ‘Boys Don’t Cry.’
4. Mariah Carey
Mariah shocked the world when she stripped off her diva glamor and played a plain-looking social worker in ‘Precious.’
3. Felicity Huffman
One of Hollywood’s favorite way to ugly-up actresses is to make them play a transgendered person. Felicity played male-to-female transsexual Bree for 2005′s ‘Transamerica.’
2. Charlize Theron
Charlize surprised audiences everywhere when she portrayed a homeless, murdering hooker in 2003′s ‘Monster,’ which earned her an Oscar. Looking at the picture of the two, it is still hard to believe that they are even the same person.
1. Amy Sedaris
Perhaps one of the greatest examples of “getting ugly for a role” is Amy playing Jerri Blank in the brilliant TV show (and later, movie) ‘Strangers With Candy.’ Sedaris played up Jerri’s ugliness so much that it almost became an art form.
Do you agree with this list? I would take out Katherine Heigl and add in Renee Zellweger for playing Bridget Jones.
source: 20 Pretty Actresses Who Aren’t Afraid To Play Ugly (PHOTOS) [Celebuzz]
Well hello there Anne Hathaway looking all sexy in the new issue of British GQ Magazine, how nice of you to wake me up this morning. That is what I thought of when I first came across these photos.
We all know that she is beautiful but she never really does any “sexy” photoshoots or anything so when they come along I like to make a point of getting to know them very well.
If she could change anything in her life: “Looking back, if I could give myself some advice, I would tell myself not to take it all so seriously.”
On kissing in movies : “If you’re both unattached and you get along, of course kissing in a movie is fun, but you can never get truly deep down and into it. It’s a totally different experience. You really you have to be Angelina Jolie to pull that off and still look good. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I ain’t no Angie.”
When asked who the best kisser in Hollywood was she said Jennifer Garner. I wouldn’t mind kissing either Garner or Anne Hathaway especially if she wore the corset in these photos.
[Click thumbnails for larger view]
source: Holy Anne Hathaway Hotness, Batman! [Egotastic]
I was looking around for interesting images the other day, and happened upon one of my favorite pictures of Anne Hathaway (which is on this list). The most noticeable feature of the picture is the incredible side boobage that seems to leap from the image and scream “gaze upon me in all of my glory, for I am side boob.”
What is it about the side boob that is so appealing? Is it the hint of what lies just out of reach? I tend to appreciate a good side boob more than a great under boob image, although some men (and women) may disagree.
Even Peter Griffin of Family Guy appreciates a flash of side boob:
Regardless of your boob preferences, most mammary aficionados like myself will have to agree that boobs are mounds of beautiful goodness no matter what side or angle they are viewed from!
So without further ado, I present to you my choices for the top ten celebrity side boob images of all time.
#10 Elisha Cuthbert
Elisha Cuthbert played the hot porn star with a heart of gold in The Girl Next Door and also played as Jack Bauer’s daughter Kim in the awesome series 24.
#9 Jennifer Connelly
Jennifer Connelly starred opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Blood Diamond and Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind. She is without a doubt one of the most beautiful women on the planet. Well, I don’t doubt it, at least.
#8 Emma Watson
Emma Watson is best known for playing Hermoine in the Harry Potter series. Who would have thought she’d grow up to be so gorgeous?
#7 Brooke Burke
Brooke Burke was the host of Wild On! and Rock Star, and won season 7 of Dancing with the Stars. She’s also ridiculously hot.
#6 Joanna Krupa
Joanna Krupa is a model who also loves animals and blah blah blah, PETA ads, look, boobies!
#5 Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway began her career in the 1999 TV show Get Smart before appearing in the Disney films The Princess Diaries (1 and 2) and Ella Enchanted. She then decided to let it all hang out in Havoc before starring in The Devil Wears Prada opposite Meryl Streep (who will not be appearing on this list).
#4 Eva Mendes
Eva Mendes first hit my radar when she starred in Training Day with Denzel Washington, and since then I will pretty much watch any piece of crap (ahem… Ghost Rider) that has her in the credits.
#3 Christina Aguilera
Beautiful songstress Christina Aguilera has gone through a dozen different looks, from pinup model to sexy bad girl to transvestite, but the picture above is the look I like best on her. By that I mean naked.
#2 Angelina Jolie
I struggled long and hard (heh) before deciding to make this picture of Angelina Jolie number two. I like her so much more as a person than I do the person I picked for the first place spot, but this isn’t my “top ten nice celebrities that do cool shit for poor people and adopt enough children to start their own country”. It’s all about the side boob.
#1 Katherine Heigl
My number one choice for this post is this picture of Katherine Heigl. I think the only thing I’ve ever seen her in was Knocked Up, where I thought she must be the sweetest woman ever. Judging by reports from costars and anyone else that has had the misfortune to spend more than five minutes working on a film or Grey’s Anatomy with her, however, she can be a complete bitch.
Oh well, that is one fantastic side boob.
So there you have it, folks. My top ten greatest celebrity side boobs ever. Or as Kanye West would say “OF ALL TIME!”
Think you know of any that should have been included here? Let me know in the comments below!
We all know that the likes of Angelina Jolie and Cameron Diaz earn the most money in Hollywood, but they aren’t always the names that bring in the big money for studios.
Forbes have put together a list of 10 women in Hollywood who make the studios a big return for every dollar that they are paid. When coming up with this list they counted actresses who have been in at least three movies in the past five years, they didn’t include animated movies because who goes to see a cartoon based on who is voicing it?
10. Hilary Swank
In addition to earning two Oscars, Swank has proven herself to be a good investment with movies like P.S. I Love You. The romance (which cost an estimated $30 million) earned $157 million at the worldwide box office. Swank is expected to earn yet another Oscar nomination for her upcoming film Amelia, in which she plays the iconic aviator Amelia Earhart. For every $1 Swank was paid, her films earned an average of $23.
9. Anne Hathaway
The 26-year-old actress is one of the youngest on our list. Hathaway earned a Best Actress nomination for her work in Rachel Getting Married last year but because the movie only ever opened on 390 screens, we didn’t include it in our survey. Instead she makes the list for movies like Get Smart, which earned $230 million at the worldwide box office. For every $1 Hathaway was paid, her movies earned an average of $23.
8. Cate Blanchett
Like many of the women on our list, Blanchett likes to mix big budget fare with smaller art house movies. She appeared in all three Lord of the Rings movies but earned an Oscar nomination for her performance as one of the Bob Dylan characters in I’m Not There. She lands on our list mostly due to her work in last year’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. For every $1 Blanchett was paid, her movies earned an average of $23.
7. Hallie Barry
Berry has been mostly out of the spotlight lately, but her work as Storm in three X-Men movies helps land her on our list of actresses with the best return on investment. Her most recent movie, Things We Lost in the Fire, was a flop, earning only $8.5 million at the box office, but that didn’t stop her from making our Top 10 list. For every $1 Berry was paid, her movies earned an average of $23.
6. Jennifer Aniston
The most successful of the former Friends stars, Aniston is a regular on the red carpet and in the tabloids, where her romances are endlessly speculated about. Recently she’s had some pretty successful movies too. He’s Just Not That Into You and Marley & Me helped improve her ROI, which had been slipping due to duds like Rumor Has It. For every $1 Aniston was paid, her movies earned an average of $26.
5. Meryl Streep
Streep earns a bigger paycheck than most women on our list, but thanks to the massive box office of last summer’s Mamma Mia ($610 million), she also offers a good return on investment. Her latest film, Julie & Julia, came out too late to make our list but the movie’s $96 million in earnings (so far) should help her remain one of Hollywood’s most desirable actresses. For every $1 Streep was paid, her movies earned an average of $27.
4. Natalie Portman
Thanks to her work in the new Star Wars movies, Portman has appeared in some of the highest-earning films of all time. But she ranks on our list because of movies like The Other Boleyn Girl, which earned $78 million at the worldwide box office. Like many of the actresses on our list, Portman appears in her fair share of art films, like 2007′s little-seen Paris J’Taime. For every $1 Portman was paid, her films earned an average of $28.
3. Rachel McAdams
Thanks to films like The Notebook and this year’s The Time Traveler’s Wife, McAdams is quickly becoming the go-to actress for romantic movies. Despite her rising profile, McAdams still commands a relatively modest paycheck. This winter she’ll star opposite Robert Downey Jr. in an update of Sherlock Holmes. For every $1 McAdams was paid, her movies earned an average of $30.
2. Jennifer Connelly
February’s He’s Just Not That Into You helped several actresses, including Connelly, with their ROI numbers because each star took a pay cut to appear in the ensemble comedy, which earned $177 million at the worldwide box office. Connelly’s work in The Day The Earth Stood Still and Blood Diamond helped her take second place. For every $1 Connelly was paid, her films earned an average of $41.
1. Naomi Watts
The 41-year-old Australian actress first made her mark with 2002′s The Ring. The low-budget horror film earned $250 million at the worldwide box office and put Watts in demand. For the most part the actress has kept a low profile, appearing mostly in artsy fare like last year’s Funny Games. But thanks to 2005′s King Kong, her average return on investment is the best in Hollywood. For every $1 Watts was paid, her films earned an average of $44.
It’s that time of again, when we all (or most of us) read articles like this and then think of our bank accounts and cry ourselves to sleep, because Forbes have just released Hollywood’s Top-Earning Actresses.
Brad Pitt must do something good to women because Angelina Jolie tops the list while his ex wife Jennifer Aniston is right behind her.
Most of Angelina’s money came from the $341 million that her movie Wanted made, plus she got a chunk of money from her next movie, Salt.
As for Jennifer’s money, her film Marley & Me made abotu $244 million, she gets money from being the spokesperson for SmartWater, she got money for her next film The Baster and of course she still rakes in cash from Friends residuals.
The top 15 list looks like this:
1: Angelina Jolie – $27 million
2: Jennifer Aniston – $25 million
3: Meryl Streep – $24 million
4: Sarah Jessica Parker – $23 million
5: Cameron Diaz – $20 million
6: Sandra Bullock – $15 million
6: Reese Witherspoon – $15 million
8: Nicole Kidman – $12 million
8: Drew Barrymore – $12 million
10: Renee Zellweger – $10 million
11: Cate Blanchett – $8 million
12: Anne Hathaway, $7 million
12: Halle Berry, $7 million
14: Scarlett Johansson, $5.5 million
15: Kate Winslet, $2 million
According to Forbes, The Top 10 women earned a combined $183 million compared to $393 million for the Top 10 men. And they said sexism was dead?
