Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Highest-paid actors 2020: Dwayne Johnson tops annual Forbes list

Ryan Reynolds, Adam Sandler and Will Smith also feature 

Jacob Stolworthy
Tuesday 11 August 2020 15:07 BST
Comments
Jungle Cruise - Trailer

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Forbes has released its annual list of the highest-paid actors in the world.

This year’s list, which has been greatly affected by Netflix, saw the highest earners of 2020 collect a combined $545.5m (£416.5m).

Last year’s winner, Dwayne “The Rock“ Johnson, topped the list once again having earned a staggering $87.5m (£66.8m) for films including Jungle Cruise and Red Notice, a forthcoming action film he’ll lead for the streaming service.

His co-star in the latter, Ryan Reynolds, followed close behind thanks to roles in Michael Bay’s Six Underground and the recently delayed Free Solo.

Other big earners include Mark Wahlberg (Spenser Confidential), Ben Affleck (The Last Thing He Wanted) and Adam Sandler (Uncut Gems).

Sandler found himself on the list thanks to a multi-film deal he signed with Netflix in January following the record-breaking release of comedy Murder Mystery in 2019.

In all, the streaming service paid out a total of $140.5m to the actors.

Interestingly, last year’s actors who ranked because of their roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been bumped off the list.

Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd all featured in 2019.

Adam Sandler in ‘Uncut Gems’.
Adam Sandler in ‘Uncut Gems’. (Courtesy of Netflix)

The only Marvel actor to make this year’s list is Vin Diesel (Guardians of the Galaxy) largely due to his appearance in the Fast & Furious franchise.

Rounding out the list is Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda, Will Smith and Jackie Chan, who has dropped five places to 10.

Find the full top 10 ranking here.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in