Scarlett smiling all the way to the bank

Scarlett Johansson, the world’s highest-paid actress.

Scarlett Johansson, the world’s highest-paid actress.

Published Aug 21, 2018

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Scarlett Johansson has become the world’s highest-paid actress, earning £31.8 million (R589m) in the last year.

The star, 33, flew to the top of the list thanks to her role as Marvel comic superhero Black Widow.

The mother-of-one’s star turn in Avengers: Infinity War meant she quadrupled her income from the previous year.

Her takings dwarfed the rest on the list - earning nearly £10m more than second-placed Angelina Jolie (£22m). Jolie, 43, made her millions largely thanks to her Disney film Maleficent 2, which is set to be released in 2020.

The Forbes’ annual list of highest-earning actresses calculates pre-tax earnings between June 1, 2017 and June 1, 2018.

Jennifer Aniston, 49, came in third, despite not having starred in a high-profile project in the last year. However, she still gets income from 1990s sitcom Friends, as well as money for endorsements of beauty and fitness products, both of which helped her earn £15.3m.

She slipped down a place from last year’s list, when she earned £19.8m.

Jennifer Lawrence, 28, who starred in the under-performing films Mother! and Red Sparrow was fourth, with continued earnings from her role in the X-Men series and a lucrative contract with fashion brand Christian Dior.

Her £14.1m income was £4.5m less than the year before.

In fifth place, was Reese Witherspoon, 42, who took in £13m, followed by Mila Kunis, Julia Roberts, Cate Blanchett and Melissa McCarthy. Gal Gadot, who played Wonder Woman last year, came 10th.

Last year’s highest-paid actress, Oscar-winning La La Land star Emma Stone, fell out of the top 10.

Forbes said the lack of roles for women meant “there are fewer opportunities for stars to earn big bucks”. Only two women topped $20m, down from three in 2017.

This is in stark contrast to actors - Mark Wahlberg was the highest earner last year, taking home £53.5m thanks to Daddy’s Home 2 and Transformers: The Last Knight.

The list will be released by this week.

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