Hollywood Sexism Exposed in Top Paid Actresses vs. Top Paid Actors Lists

Lowest paid actor on Forbes earlier list would still rank among the top 10 of highest paid actresses

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The pay disparity between men and women was on full display after the release of the annual list of Jennifer Lawrence, Scarlett Johansson highest paid actresses on Thursday.

When compared to the list of highest paid actors released in early August, women earned noticeably less with few exceptions. Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence‘s $52 million haul over the past year would put her at No. 2 on the actors list compiled by Forbes, behind Robert Downey Jr. ($80 million), but ahead of Jackie Chan ($50 million).

“Avengers: Age of Ultron” star Scarlett Johansson earned $35.5 million, which would be good enough for the No. 7 spot, just behind Tom Cruise ($40 million).

After that, however, actresses drop down the list considerably.

Melissa McCarthy starred in the hit comedy “Spy,” the critically acclaimed “St. Vincent,” continued her role on the CBS sitcom “Mike & Molly” and started a clothing line for plus-sized women. But her $23 million payday would put her at a disappointing No. 20 on the actors list.

The actresses continue to tumble down the list after that. A-list stars like Jennifer Aniston, Angelina Jolie-Pitt and Reese Witherspoon would barely be able to crack the top 30 with earnings between $15 and $16.5 million. That puts them significantly behind actors like Johnny Depp ($30 million) and Adam Sandler ($41 million), both of whom experienced high-profile flops like “Mortdecai” and “Pixels.”

Perhaps most shockingly, Andy Lau and Chris Pratt, who tied for the final two spots on the actors’ list with $13 million each, would still rank in the top 10 of highest paid actresses, easily out-earning stars like Oscar winners Meryl Streep ($8 million) and Sandra Bullock ($8 million).

Top Paid Actresses of 2015:

1. Jennifer Lawrence-$52 million
2. Scarlett Johansson-$35.5 million
3. Melissa McCarthy-$23 million
4. Bingbing Fan-$21 million
5. Jennifer Aniston-$16.5 million
6. Julia Roberts-$16 million
7. Angelina Jolie-Pitt-$15 million
8. Reese Witherspoon-$15 million
9. Anne Hathaway-$12 million
10. Kristen Stewart-$12 million
11. Cameron Diaz-$11 million
12. Gwyneth Paltrow-$9 million
13. Meryl Streep-$8 million
14. Amanda Seyfried-$8 million
15. Sandra Bullock-$8 million
16. Emma Stone-$6.5 million
17. Mila Kunis-$6.5 million
18. Natalie Portman-$6 million

Top 20 Paid Actors of 2015:
1. Robert Downey, Jr. $80 million
2. Jackie Chan $50 million
3. Vin Diesel $47 million
4. Bradley Cooper $41.5 million
5. Adam Sandler $41 million
6. Tom Cruise $40 million
7. Amitabh Bachchan $33.5 million
7. Salman Khan $33.5 million (Tie)
9. Akshay Kumar $32.5 million
10. Mark Wahlberg $32 million
11. Dwayne Johnson $31.5 million
12. Johnny Depp $30 million
13. Leonardo Dicaprio $29 million
14. Channing Tatum $29 million
15. Chris Hemsworth $27 million
15. Daniel Craig $27 million (Tie)
17. Matthew McConaughey $26.5 million
18. Shah Rukh Khan $26 million
18. Will Smith $26 million (Tie)
20. Matt Damon $25 million

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