Angelina Jolie hasn't released a movie since 2011 but was still named 2013's highest-paid actress, by @PhloxLombardi http://t.co/qE4TmHRxZW
— Grantland (@Grantland33) July 30, 2013
Grant land
By Tess Lynch on
Angelina Jolie, who last appeared onscreen in 2010’s The Tourist (remember? With Johnny Depp? With whom she shared so little chemistry that “a microscope and a search party could not discover any trace of” it?), has topped Forbes’s list of this year’s highest-paid actresses, ranking 41st overall (Oprah, Lady Gaga, Steven Spielberg, Beyoncé, and Madonna were credited with the top five most powerful celebrity spots). Forbes cites Jolie’s “north of $15 million” salary for 2014’s Maleficent — her then-4-year-old daughter Vivienne Jolie-Pitt reportedly earned $3,000 a week for her role in the film — and $33 million in earnings between June of 2012 and last month, which places her more than $7 million ahead of the next highest-paid actress, Jennifer Lawrence.
Jolie’s Forbes title is accompanied by a few paragraphs about her “honest, controversial and very brave” New York Times op-ed about her double mastectomy, and no mention of the Kung Fu Panda movies, to which Jolie lent her voice in 2008 and 2011 (despite the fact that Kung Fu Panda 2 was her highest-grossing film). Her focus is shifting toward more off-camera roles these days as a humanitarian, director, and writer (she helmed 2011’s In the Land of Blood and Honey, and will direct Unbroken, which opens on Christmas 2014), which only serves to diversify her brand and make her seem like a more compelling personality; even when she disappears from sight to recuperate from surgery, her Wind Song stays on our minds. Her endorsement deal paychecks are astronomical, despite the fact that her presence can be a distraction from over-the-elbow leather gloves she's selling. There’s something stern about her power ranking, serious and cold and regal. She seems to earn money simply by existing.
Jolie is no stranger to the Forbes list. She knocked Oprah out of the most powerful position in 2009 following Wanted, which grossed $340 million, and tied for the highest-paid actress position with Sarah Jessica Parker in 2011. This year, Oprah returned to the top of the 100 list, but that credit has been hard-won; Oprah’s efforts to resuscitate the OWN network come with the cost of having to talk with Andy Cohen and brandish her clout as much as possible. Beyoncé had a world tour and Lady Gaga has continued to self-publicize for her upcoming album ARTPOP and “unisex fragrance line” despite a hip injury, riding around in a fancy, attention-grabbing wheelchair.
Forbes once spilled ink comparing Jolie and Brad Pitt to Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, but despite generous tabloid speculation, Pitt and Jolie are either very good at keeping their drama contained within the walls of their castle in the south of France, or just sitting around lamenting the state of the world and designing chairs without any notable bickering. The endless eight-year headline search for the fall of the house of Brangelina, a hunt that eventually was willing to settle for just a dangling bit of scaffolding or a broken window, has turned up little but manicured rows of adorable adopted children standing before the firmly locked door of a sturdy stone structure. What we know of Jolie at this point is exactly what she wants us to know, that prized feat of celebrity that’s even more impressive because she’s successfully diverted so much attention to the causes of her choice.
Jolie has become so influential, she’s like a black hole: The void left by her absence on the big screen only made her more massive. So much about her persona seems implausible — her beauty, her family, her past — that its easy to subconsciously assume she’s acting all the time, presenting us with a performance so skilled that we pretend to believe she’s a real person. Sherlock Holmes said that “the best way of successfully acting a part is to be it,” and though it doesn’t show up on her IMDb page, Jolie’s best and most successful credit has proven to be simply playing herself.
FilmExperience
By Nathhaniel R.
Top Ten Biggest Money-Making Actresses Right Now
Tuesday, July 30, 2013 at 1:00PM
For today's Tuesday's Top Ten we're using Forbes numbers for discussion lift-off We recently discussed their list of the top paid actors from the past twelve months and came to the conclusion that they don't challenge themselves much at all. The women are aslightly different story. While it's true that no one would mistake this for a list of 'The Best Actresses Working' or 'The Actresses Who Are Currently Testing The Limits of Their Range,' this list does have slightly more variety in filmography though far less in terms of beauty and age as is always the case with the men and the women of Hollywood
01 Angelina Jolie $33
Tops the list by way of signing on to Maleficent for Disney. The Sleeping Beauty prequel is a surefire hit, both because it's presold -- branding being everything -- and because it's Jolie who rarely falters at the box office.
Tops the list by way of signing on to Maleficent for Disney. The Sleeping Beauty prequel is a surefire hit, both because it's presold -- branding being everything -- and because it's Jolie who rarely falters at the box office.
nine more ladies and an actress poll after the jump
02 Jennifer Lawrence $26 The youngest woman on the list (almost 23) is Hollywood's reigning "Best Actress" and Queen of Internet Fandom (seriously, people be obsessed!). She had a sleeper hit with Silver Linings Playbook (the first romantic comedy to strike it rich with the trifecta - critics, audiences, Oscars - in quite some time) but it's the Hunger Games and X-Men paychecks that will sustain her even if she retires by 25.
03 Kristen Stewart $22
With Twilight wrapping up, Forbes warns that she will drop off this list next year. She could certainly use a little time away from the spotlight since she doesn't seem to enjoy it all that much. Still, I doubt she's "over". (She was #1 last year)
With Twilight wrapping up, Forbes warns that she will drop off this list next year. She could certainly use a little time away from the spotlight since she doesn't seem to enjoy it all that much. Still, I doubt she's "over". (She was #1 last year)
04 Jennifer Aniston $20
Is the closest thing the female list has to someone who would not look at all out of place on the corresponding male list: she almost never tests her range and the films make money and are then instantly forgotten.
Is the closest thing the female list has to someone who would not look at all out of place on the corresponding male list: she almost never tests her range and the films make money and are then instantly forgotten.
05 Emma Stone $16
Will this be the decade of Stone? She broke out big in 2010 with Easy A nd it's been smooth sailing since with big hits (The Help, The Amazing Spider-Man), regular size hits (Crazy Stupid Love), and a flop no one blamed on her (Gangster Squad). She's got adoring fans, adorable boyfriend, and critical adoration; Easy A indeed. But I'd say the next few projects are crucial if she wants to establish herself as a formidable actress and not just a popular one. Her best performance is still easily Easy A so shouldn't she be grabbing at juicier lead roles and stop playing second fiddle to another star as she's been doing ever since? (DEBUT ON THIS LIST)
Will this be the decade of Stone? She broke out big in 2010 with Easy A nd it's been smooth sailing since with big hits (The Help, The Amazing Spider-Man), regular size hits (Crazy Stupid Love), and a flop no one blamed on her (Gangster Squad). She's got adoring fans, adorable boyfriend, and critical adoration; Easy A indeed. But I'd say the next few projects are crucial if she wants to establish herself as a formidable actress and not just a popular one. Her best performance is still easily Easy A so shouldn't she be grabbing at juicier lead roles and stop playing second fiddle to another star as she's been doing ever since? (DEBUT ON THIS LIST)
06 Charlize Theron $15
We interviewed her. We love her. The comeback was a resounding success and we hope she sticks around this time. Forbest notes that her extracurricular activities (like the Dior campaign) are a big key to her financial success since she takes risks like Young Adult. We like our actresses best this way. If you have to be a gazillionaire do it with endorsements but create indelible characters that are yours alone on the big screen even if no one will pay you the big bucks to make them!
We interviewed her. We love her. The comeback was a resounding success and we hope she sticks around this time. Forbest notes that her extracurricular activities (like the Dior campaign) are a big key to her financial success since she takes risks like Young Adult. We like our actresses best this way. If you have to be a gazillionaire do it with endorsements but create indelible characters that are yours alone on the big screen even if no one will pay you the big bucks to make them!
07 Sandra Bullock $14
With another big hit in theaters she'll be on the list again next year when she turns 50. Such longevity with that one (as previously discussed)!
With another big hit in theaters she'll be on the list again next year when she turns 50. Such longevity with that one (as previously discussed)!
08 Natalie Portman $14
09 Mila Kunis $11
The Black Swan girls are still circling each other... at least in list form. And if you ask me their acting careers are as f***ed up as their ballerina relationship was. Doesn't it seem like Portman hasn't registered much at all since Black Swan? The money keeps rolling in thanks to Thor in which she plays the girlfriend (a role that could have been played by anyone). Mila had two big hits recently with Oz: The Great and Powerful (in which she was terrible) and Ted (in which her role could have been played by anyone). These are all ways to make a lot of money but is this any way to sustain an A list career? They both really ought to be looking for the next Black Swan and not the next franchise which doesn't really need them. Do you agree?
09 Mila Kunis $11
The Black Swan girls are still circling each other... at least in list form. And if you ask me their acting careers are as f***ed up as their ballerina relationship was. Doesn't it seem like Portman hasn't registered much at all since Black Swan? The money keeps rolling in thanks to Thor in which she plays the girlfriend (a role that could have been played by anyone). Mila had two big hits recently with Oz: The Great and Powerful (in which she was terrible) and Ted (in which her role could have been played by anyone). These are all ways to make a lot of money but is this any way to sustain an A list career? They both really ought to be looking for the next Black Swan and not the next franchise which doesn't really need them. Do you agree?
10 Julia Roberts $11
Her instant hit-maker days are behind her but she still commands a hefty paycheck.
Her instant hit-maker days are behind her but she still commands a hefty paycheck.
LATimes
Angelina Jolie, a less conventional Forbes chart-topper
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
arrive at the red carpet for the "World War Z" German premiere in
Berlin.
(Andreas Rentz / June 4, 2013)
Related photos »In case you were unaware, Angelina Jolie is famous. Like, really famous. So in one sense it's perfectly logical that she would top the most recent Forbes list for highest-paid actresses, with earnings of $33 million over the last year, according to a report from the magazine earlier this week.
The Guardian broke down that number to include a $10-million contract with Louis Vuitton and a $15-million salary for her upcoming role as the evil stepmother in a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty tale, “Maleficent,” scheduled for release next year.
But Jolie is also different from many of the popular performers who top that list, having not appeared in a film since 2010’s “The Tourist.” Jolie hasn’t exactly been doing the things a movie star is expected to do. Like star in movies.
PHOTOS: 50 most beautiful female celebrities
Jolie seems determined to forge her own path, which makes her one of the least conventional actresses to top the earners list in a long while.
Much of her time, after all, is spent doing work on behalf of the United Nations. When she does turn to movies, she's increasingly focused on directing projects. Following her 2011 feature debut, the Bosnian War drama “In the Land of Blood and Honey” – nominated for a Golden Globe in the category of best foreign language film – she will next be directing “Unbroken,” the story of Olympic runner and World War II POW Louis Zamperini, from a screenplay adapted by Joel And Ethan Coen.
By comparison, Jennifer Lawrence, No. 2 on the Forbes list with $26 million, has recently acted in both the “Hunger Games” and “X-Men” franchises and picked up an Oscar for “The Silver Linings Playbook.” Kristen Stewart, No. 3 with $22 million, saw the “Twilight” series wrap up. Jennifer Aniston, Jolie's foil in tabloid narratives, earned $20 million while Emma Stone brought in an estimated $16 million, each acting in a plethora of movies over the last few years.
On the male side, Robert Downey Jr., named to the top spot a few weeks ago, has regularly had a big springtime movie -- "The Avengers" last year, "Iron Man 3" this year, "The Avengers 2" next year.
Jolie? She's best known in 2013 for a very different kind of role--as a poster child for preventive surgery, after her headline-grabbing announcement that she had undergone a double mastectomy as a means of heading off breast cancer.
In some ways the career Jolie’s might currently be most similar to is that of her partner Brad Pitt, who does a lot of humanitarian work as well and also seems increasingly interested in recent years in a role behind the camera, as a producer. (Though Pitt does often act in a couple of movies each year. The actor, incidentally, did not make Forbes’ recent list of top 10 earning actors, which means he made less than No. 10 Liam Neeson’s $32 million. Slacker.)
Since Jolie and Pitt became one of the world’s most famous couples in the wake of the blockbuster success of 2005’s “Mr. And Mrs. Smith” – an action-movie satire that’s also a sharp treatise on modern marriage – the two have seemed determined and increasingly savvy in using their outsized celebrity to their own ends. It hasn't stopped them from raking it in, Forbes-style. But what’s the point in being mega-famous and super-rich if you can’t do what you want?
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