She didn’t have to tell the world why she had been out of the spotlight for months. She could have said that she was just spending time with her large family or taking a much-needed break after years of working nonstop.
Instead the actress chose to open up about her preventive double mastectomy. Jolie, who carries a gene that puts her at an elevated risk for breast cancer, explained her decision in a New York Times op-ed that sparked both support and controversy
Angelina Jolie’s ability to shape a national conversation while earning one of the highest paychecks in Hollywood makes her the most powerful actress on our Celebrity 100 list. Jolie ranks 41st overall with $33 million in earnings. Much of that comes from her upfront pay for the movie Maleficent, Disney’s new take on the old Sleeping Beauty story. Jolie stars as the wicked queen in the movie, which is scheduled for release next summer.
The second most-powerful actress on our list is newcomer Jennifer Lawrence, who ranks 49th with $26 million. It’s hard to think of an actress who had a better year than Lawrence. She started 2012 with The Hunger Games, which grossed $690 million at the global box office, making it one of the highest-grossing movies of the year. Lawrence was paid less than $1 million upfront for her work on the film but she made up for that with a much fatter paycheck to revisit the role of Katniss Everdeen for the sequel, Catching Fire.
Then she won her first Oscar as Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook (it was the 22-year-old’s second nomination). The smaller movie turned a nice profit off its own, bringing in $236 million on a $20 million budget. Lawrence has a slew of blockbusters and art films on deck for the next year including X-Men: Days of Future Past and American Hustle from Silver Linings director David O. Russell and co-starring Silver Linings star Bradley Cooper.
Angelina Jolie
Never one to shy away from controversy, Jolie recently shared with the world that she had undergone a voluntary double mastectomy because she carries a gene that puts her at a high risk for breast cancer. Her revelation sparked plenty of debate and showed again why Jolie is one of the most powerful women in Hollywood. It also explained her recent time out of the limelight but she's back in full force now with a big payday under her belt for Maleficent, Disney's new spin on the Sleeping Beauty story.
Jennifer Lawrence
Hollywood's new It girl walked away from 2012 with an Oscar for Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook and one of the top grossing movies of the year with The Hunger Games. Lawrence was paid under $1 million for the first Hunger Games movies but Lionsgate was happy to pay more to secure her for the second installment: Catching Fire. As Katniss, Lawrence has shown that action heroes don't always have to be played by men for a film to turn a profit.
Jennifer Aniston
Thanks to Friends, Aniston would be fine if she never worked another day in her life. Instead, she's mostly doing movies that appeal to her artistic side, not necessarily her bank account. The actress takes pay cuts to appear in films like Horrible Bosses and We're the Millers. She still earns big from her deals with Vitamin Water and Aveeno skin care and she's never out of the press. Her recent engagement to actor Justin Theroux was one of the biggest tabloid stories of 2012.
Kristen Stewart
With the Twilight money still rolling in (for now), Stewart makes her fourth appearance on the Celebrity 100 list after topping our list of Hollywood's Highest-Paid Actresses last year. This is likely to be Stewart's last Celebrity 100 list for a while though. While she helped make Snow White and the Huntsman a hit, a sequel is still a ways off and the actress doesn't seem terribly interested in doing more big-budget movies.
Gwyneth Paltrow
More than a movie star, Paltrow has become a lifestyle brand. Her website, Goop, features recipes, beauty tips and helpful advice for how to live like Gwyneth. While the site attracts as many haters as fans, Paltrow's career is nothing to laugh at. She had a bigger role in Iron Man 3, which quickly grossed more than $1 billion, and she now has her third cookbook in stores.
Meryl Streep
Streep is busy proving that movies don't have to be aimed at teenage boys to be profitable. Last year's Hope Springs was a comedy that dealt honestly with the sex life of an older married couple. Instead of avoiding the film, audiences flocked and the movie earned $114 million at the global box office. Streep is the most-nominated actor ever with 17 nods and three wins.
Emma Stone
Since she hit the big screen in 2007's Superbad, Stone has steadily risen through the ranks to become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. In 2011 she helped turn The Help into one of the most profitable films of the year and in 2012 she made her big-budget debut in The Amazing Spider-Man. Yes, she was playing the girlfriend role but Stone was arguably as much of a draw as Andrew Garfield who played Peter Parker.
Charlize Theron
Theron likes to balance her work in smaller films, like 2011's Young Adult, with bigger-budget fare like last year's Snow White and the Huntsman. She also starred in Prometheus, the kind-of prequel to Aliens which earned $403 million at the global box office. Theron supplements her movie money with high-paid endorsements for brands like Dior. She's now adding behind-the-scenes duties to her resume, executive producing a Hatfields & McCoys pilot for NBC.
Mila Kunis
Kunis debuts on our list this year thanks to two huge films. Ted and Oz: The Great and Powerful earned a combined $1 billion at the global box office. Kunis, who got her start on That '70s Show in 1998, is now firmly established as one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood. Expect her quote, which is currently modest by Hollywood standards, to climb accordingly. Despite her busy movie schedule she still finds time to voice Meg on Family Guy.
Sandra Bullock
After taking some time out of the spot light, Bullock is back with The Heat and Gravity. It will be tough for her to live up to 2009 though when The Blind Side earned $309 million on a budget of $30 million and Bullock won an Oscar for Best Actress. But Bullock is still almost universally beloved. She's one of the few celebrities to get a perfect 100 E-Score from our partners at E-Poll Market Research which makes her one of the most marketable celebrities around.
Source: Forbes
Post a Comment