CAN HOLLYWOOD CONTINUE TO AFFORD KRISTEN?

HIGHEST......Kristen Stewart is Hollywood's highest paid actress. Even with just one emotion.

WHAT do Cameron Diaz, Sandra Bullock, Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, Julia Roberts, Sarah Jessica Parker, Meryl Steep and Jennifer Aniston have in common? They all get paid less than Kristen Stewart.

Yes, the 22-year-old actress earned an estimated US$34.5mil (that's RM109mil) for the year ending May 2012—thanks to the Twilight Saga and her recent turn as Snow White—making her Forbes' highest-paid actresses in Hollywood and pushing last year's chart-topper Angelina to fourth place.

"She's is an up-and-coming star. She's 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," said Dorothy Pomerantz, Forbes' LA bureau chief. "You're seeing somebody young and at the brink of great stardom sitting on the top of the list."

Cameron, who had a hit with Bad Teacher, came in second with US$34mil (RM107mil). Sandra, who largely took a break after The Blind Side, was third with US$25mil (RM79mil).

Angelina, now at No. 4, took home US$20mil (RM63mil). Charlize, who also starred in Snow White And The Huntsman and now appears in Prometheus, ranked fifth with US$18mil (RM57mil).

 

 

RISE UP.....Angelina and Charlize are 4th and 5th. Want to bet they'll rise up the ranks next year?

Sixth spot went to Julia, who starred in the lacklustre Mirror, Mirror and earned US$16mil (RM50mil). Sarah plummeted on the list after the disappointing box-office take of I Don't Know How She Does It and placed seventh with US$15mil (RM47mil).

"Parker is almost earning more from her perfume and endorsement deals right now than from entertainment. That’s true of a lot of women. They have these outside deals that are very lucrative. Jolie earns a lot from residuals, as does Parker," said Pomerantz.

Further down the ranks, Meryl’s Oscar-winning performance in The Iron Lady and Bridesmaids star Kristen Wiig got them tied for eighth place with US$12mil (RM38mil). That leaves Jennifer, once the highest paid actress on TV back in the ’90, trailing at the bottom with a paycheque of US$11mil (RM35mil).

Forbes compiled the list and estimated salaries based on pay earnings, profits, residuals, endorsements and advertising work. That meant dropping Reese Witherspoon, who came in third last year, completely off the list.

The top 10 actresses earned a combined US$200mil (RM632mil), but that’s still a huge chunk less than what the top 10 Hollywood actors made. According to Forbes, the guys made a total of US$361mil (RM1.1bil).

"It's nowhere near what men are making," Pomerantz said of the actresses' pulling power. "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."