By A-list actors rake in a lot of cash when they decide to take on roles. As such, the general audience will see a movie and think, “What? Leonardo DiCaprio is starring in this movie? It must be good! I’m gonna go see that this weekend.” It’s brand recognition, or for the less cynical, name recognition. That’s why, for example, the sheep flock towards every Tim Burton and Johnny Depp collaboration, despite how terrible they end up being. For the most part, though, the major A-list actors tend to take on “safe” film projects that will net them a good amount of cash.
Forbes recently released the list of the top ten paid actors from May 2010 to May 2011, revealing that Leonardo DiCaprio topped the list, dethroning Hot Topic favorite, Johnny Depp. The rest of the list, which is below the cut along with each respective actor’s net earnings for the time period, includes such actors as Tom Hanks and Robert Downey, Jr.
Surprisingly, Will Smith is on the list in the fourth spot. If you may recall, Smith didn’t have a movie come out during that time period, but he did receive a producer credit for his son’s film, The Karate Kid. However, Men in Black 3 did begin shooting in December, so it’s entirely possible he claimed the fourth spot for that role alone. Regardless, the total amount among the ten actors totals approximately $375,000,000. That’s a lot of zeroes and more commas than I’ll ever see in my life.
[via Studio Briefing]
1. Leonardo DiCaprio – $77 million
2. Johnny Depp – $50 million
3. Adam Sandler – $40 million
4. Will Smith – $36 million
5. Tom Hanks – $35 million
6. Ben Stiller – $34 million
7. Robert Downey Jr. – $31 million
8. Mark Wahlberg – $28 million
9. Tim Allen – $22 million
10. Tom Cruise – $22 million