The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is still on strike. They want better wages, among other things. There are considerable differences in salaries, especially when comparing the big Hollywood stars with other guild members.
In big movies, most of the budget goes to paying the big-name actors. Here, we will show you the top 10 actors and actresses who have been paid the most in the history of movies, along with the movies they got those huge paychecks for.
Highest Paid Actors and Actresses
10. Tom Hanks – Forrest Gump
“Tom Hanks received a hefty payment of $60 million for his role in the movie ‘Forrest Gump’, directed by Robert Zemeckis. This role even won him an Oscar for Best Leading Actor.
Entertainment Weekly reports that Hanks’ total earnings were tied to how well the movie did in the box office. As the film made around $680 million in total, Hanks got nearly 10% of the movie’s earnings as his pay.”
9. Adam Sandler – Criminals At Sea
“In 2019, the movie ‘Criminals at Sea’ came out, directed by Jeremy Garelick and featuring Adam Sandler. According to Forbes, Adam Sandler made a whopping $62.5 million for his role in the film. This was all part of a special deal for four movies. The deal ensured him a total of $250 million, which means he would earn $62.5 million for each of the films included in the agreement.”
8. Harrison Ford – Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
Harrison Ford received a massive $65 million for his part in “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” which was released in 2008. This movie is the fourth in the Indiana Jones series, and the whole saga concluded in 2023 with “Indiana Jones and the Staff of Destiny.”
7. Johnny Depp – Alice In Wonderland
Johnny Depp made a whopping $68 million for playing the Mad Hatter in the real-life version of the movie “Alice in Wonderland,” which came out in 2010.
This film was another collaboration between Depp and Tim Burton, who had previously worked together on movies like “Edward Scissorhands,” “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
6. Sandra Bullock – Gravity
Sandra Bullock was the main star in the movie “Gravity,” directed by Alfonso Cuarón, which came out in 2013. She got paid $20 million upfront for her role, and her contract also promised her 15% of the movie’s earnings. That added up to $70 million in total.
5. Robert Downey Jr. – Avengers: Infinity War
Iron Man is definitely one of the most memorable roles for Robert Downey Jr. It’s not just famous, but he also earned a huge amount of money for playing it. He received $75 million for “Avengers: Infinity War.” If we count all his Marvel movies, he’s estimated to have earned around $435 million in total.
4. Tom Cruise – Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Forbes notes that Tom Cruise pocketed $75 million for Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol, the fourth installment of the action saga. Brad Bird directed the production, released in 2011.
3. Keanu Reeves – Matrix
“The Matrix,” directed by Lilly and Lana Wachowski, was released in 1999 and had a big impact on science fiction movies. It led to a series of movies, including “Matrix Reloaded” (2003), “Matrix Revolutions” (2003), and “Matrix Resurrections” (2021). It’s rumored that Keanu Reeves earned $250 million for the first three movies combined. That’s about $83.3 million for each film.
2. Will Smith – Men In Black 3
Will Smith received $5 million for his role in the movie “Men in Black,” which came out in 1997. His earnings grew a lot over time. For the third movie in the series, he got $100 million, which included a share of the earnings the movie made at the box office.
1. Tom Cruise – Top Gun: Maverick
Tom Cruise is once again on the list of the highest-paid actors, and he’s at the top spot. He got $13 million upfront for his role in “Top Gun: Maverick,” and he also gets a percentage of the movie’s earnings. He ended up making over $100 million because the movie did really well at the box office, making around $1.5 billion worldwide.
