Julia Roberts Brings Home the Bacon

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Julia Roberts again tops the list of highest-paid actresses

Julia Roberts is the highest paid actress in Hollywood at $20 million per picture. Following her closely are Nicole Kidman at $17 million; Reese Witherspoon and Drew Barrymore at $15 million; Renee Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, and Cameron Diaz at $10-15 million; and Jodie Foster, Charlize Theron, and Jennifer Aniston.

That's a powerhouse group of ladies, and the order may surprise some fans. What you have to remember when figuring out why some are paid more and some are paid less is that these actresses' salaries are paid based on their ability to put butts in seats merely by having their name on the marquee. Even having a mediocre movie release can drive down your asking price on the next flick which is why it's very important to choose scripts and projects wisely when you reach this level.

Julia Roberts has been fortunate in her choices and hasn't had any major flops, so she continues to command the high prices, while others on the list have done some films which are - to be kind - forgettable. It's always interesting to see the annual list - who has moved up and who has lost ground. A prime example is Jennifer Lopez who fell off the list after the infamous Gigli and Jersey Girl and Halle Berry whose star dimmed a little with the failure of Catwoman.

With a brand new round of movies for the Christmas season including Aeon Flux from Charlize Theron, and Rumor Has It from Jennifer Aniston, it's very possible that next year's list could look quite different indeed.