Emma Stone earned $26 million in 2017, making her the highest-paid actress in the world, according to Forbes. But unfortunately, the outlet's top 10 list shows that Hollywood is still lagging when it comes to diversity: There were no women of color on it this year.
Chinese actress Fan Bingbing and Indian star Deepika Padukone, who were both on the list last year, weren't on the 2017 list because they made fewer films during the assessment period, according to the magazine.
The 2017 list of Forbes' Highest-Paid Actresses in full is:
- Emma Stone—$26 million
- Jennifer Aniston—$25.5 million
- Jennifer Lawrence—$24 million
- Melissa McCarthy—$18 million
- Mila Kunis—$15.5 million
- Emma Watson—$14 million
- Charlize Theron—$14 million
- Cate Blanchett—$12 million
- Julia Roberts—$12 million
- Amy Adams—$11.5 million
The 28-year-old Stone saw her annual income rise significantly, thanks in no small part to an Oscar-winning performance in La La Land opposite Ryan Gosling. This is the first time the actress has made the prestigious list, overtaking her good friend Jennifer Lawrence, who topped the list for the last two years in a row.
Lawrence placed third in this year's round-up after earning $24 million. In second place was Jennifer Aniston, who earned $25.5 million over 12 months due to a range of films and endorsement deals, including campaigns for Emirates and Aveeno.
According to Forbes, the highest-paid British actress is Emma Watson, who came sixth on the global list. She joined the top 10 for the first time this year, having earned $14 million thanks to her portrayal of Belle in Beauty and the Beast.
One nice takeaway from this year's list is that, despite the many tales we continue to hear about Hollywood ageism, 60 percent of the top 10 are over 40, including Melissa McCarthy, Julia Roberts, and Cate Blanchett.
Update, 4:25 p.m.: Natalie Robehmed, associate editor at Forbes, addressed the lack of diversity on the highest paid actress list in a just-related statement. "This year's ranking did not include a single actress of color," Robehmed said. "Last year, Deepika Padukone and Fan Bingbing made the cut, but this year both failed to earn the $11.5 million entry due to quieter schedules, FORBES estimates. The lack of diversity on the list comes down to roles: Only 28.3% of all speaking roles across formats go to characters from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, according to a 2016 study. That means there are simply fewer characters—and fewer high-paying roles—written for women of color. When studios, directors and screenwriters begin creating more main characters for women of color in the types of big budget movies that pay huge upfront fees and backend profits, we'll see more actors of color on the list."
