Quick Links

We have all thought about how cool it would be to be an actor, since these people seem to have literally everything. Some of the things that make acting so attractive are the celebrity status and lifestyle these actors and actresses acquire, and of course, the money that they make for simply pretending to be people they're not.

However, it's important to appreciate that acting isn't as simple as it might seem since the men and women in this business often have to spend months or even years away from home shooting a film or a series. And it's possible for these professionals to give their all in a project that would end up failing and making them the laughing stocks on the media for several years.

Here's a list of 15 of the highest paid actresses this year and 15 of the actresses we're convinced will make a ton of cash next year. The latter group of actresses are currently shooting or have completed shooting films that will come out next year, films that we're sure will make them a lot of money because we're already looking forward to watching them.

Highest-Paid This Year: Emma Stone

Emma Stone is best known for her roles in the films Superbad and Easy A. The 29-year-old actress has starred in other popular films like Zombieland, Crazy Stupid Love, The Help, and La La Land.

Emma has continued to excel in her career and has even branched out to become a producer. This year she is set to feature and produce a comedy miniseries called Maniac and is estimated that she will be making about $350,000 per episode. She will also be appearing in two other dramas, The Favourite and Love May Fail.

Will Make A Ton In 2019: Margot Robbie

Margot Robbie who is an Australian is both an actress and a producer. One of her first appearance on TV was in the famous soap opera Neighbours that was filmed in Australia. She moved to the United States and has since become a star. Some of her most memorable films include About Time, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Legend of Tarzan, and I, Tonya.

Margot is set to reprise her Harley Quinn role in the upcoming Suicide Squad 2 film. She will also feature in The Lego Movie 2 and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood films set to be released in 2019. The first Lego Movie made $469 million.

Highest-Paid This Year: Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston was born in 1969 and is an actress, producer, and businesswoman. She is popularly known for playing Rachel Green in the television comedy series Friends that aired from 1994 to 2004.

Her role in box office hits like Bruce Almighty, The Break Up, Marley & Me, Just Go with It, Horrible Bosses, and We’re the Millers propelled her even further in the entertainment industry. These movies brought in over $200 million, so you can imagine just how much money she has made over the last few years. Her recent films include Dumplin’ and Murder Mystery.

Will Make A Ton In 2019: Blake Lively

Blake Lively is famously known for acting as Serena in the teen drama Gossip Girl, which aired from 2007 to 2012. She has starred in popular films like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, Green Lantern, Savages, Age of Adaline, and The Shallow.

Her films as of the end of 2017 had made a gross income of over $813 million worldwide. Blake is scheduled to star in the film A Simple Favor to be released in September 2018, and later in The Rhythm Section movie that will premier in 2019.

Highest-Paid This Year: Jennifer Lawrence

27-year-old Jennifer Lawrence is a very talented actress. She has continued to appear in hit after hit, with box office successes like X-Men, The Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, Passengers, and Mother!.

She also played roles in the sequels of X-Men and The Hunger Games. Her films have generated over $5 billion in gross income and in 2015 and 2016, she was the highest paid actress in the world. Jennifer still continues to rise to fame. Her most recent film is the 2018 movie, Red Sparrow.

Will Make A Ton In 2019: Gal Gadot

33-year-old Israeli actress Gal Gadot made her career breakthrough when she landed the role of Gisele in The Fast and Furious films. However, she is famously known for her leading role in Wonder Woman, a superhero film that grossed $821 million worldwide.

Other films she has featured in include Justice League, Triple 9, Keeping up with the Joneses, and Criminal. Gal Gadot will also feature in the upcoming film Wonder Woman 1984, a sequel of the Wonder Woman movie. The new film is set to be released in November 2019.

Highest-Paid This Year: Melissa McCarthy

Melissa McCarthy is not just an actress, she is also a comedian, writer, and producer. McCarthy, who studied Textiles at University, has a fashion line called Seven7, specifically made for plus size women. She has had many roles in television but arguably her major ones were in Gilmore Girls, Samantha Who?, and Mike and Molly.

She has also appeared in several films like Bridesmaids, The Hangover 3, and more recently Life of the Party and Can You Ever Forgive Me?. By 2016, McCarthy was raking in $33 million annually, making her the second highest paid actress at the time.

Will Make A Ton In 2019: Olivia Munn

Popular actress Olivia Munn started as a journalist before pursuing acting as a career. She has appeared as a guest star in several television shows and has had roles in films like Date Night, Iron Man 2, X-Men: Apocalypse, Ride along 2, Zoolander 2, and recently Ocean's 8.

She supposedly earns a yearly income of $1 million. Olivia Munn will appear in The predator and X-Men: Dark Phoenix in 2019. The latter is a sequel of X-Men: Apocalypse, which generated $534 million worldwide.

Highest-Paid This Year: Mila Kunis

Mila Kunis began her acting career at the tender age of seven. The actress was born as Milena Markovna Kunis in Soviet Ukraine but her family moved to the United States when she was little. She took up acting as a hobby and would attend classes after school.

Mila has appeared in a number of commercials and played minor roles in a few television series like Days of Our Lives, Baywatch, and 7th Heaven. In 1999, she took over the role of Meg Griffin in the animated series Family Guy. Mila then moved to film and has never looked back. By 2017, she was the third highest earning actress with an income of 15.5 million.

Will Make A Ton In 2019: Emily Blunt

Emily Blunt is a prominent British actress who debuted her acting career in 2001 and has since then received several accolades. Emily has been featured in popular television films like Warrior Queen, My Summer of Love, The Devil Wears Prada, Young Victoria, The Adjustment Bureau, and The Quiet Place.

In December 2018, Emily is set to star in the musical fantasy film Mary Poppins Returns. She will also star alongside Dwayne Johnson in the film Jungle Cruise, which will reportedly be released in October 2019.

Highest-Paid This Year: Charlize Theron

42-year-old Charlize Theron is a dual Citizen of South Africa and the United States. Her film career kicked off in the 1990s when she landed roles in films like The Devil’s Advocate, Mighty Joe Young, and The Cider House Rules.

Charlize went on to star in several films like Hancock, Snow White and the Huntsman, The Fate of the Furious, and Atomic Blonde. By 2017, she was earning about $16.5 million, which is very decent pay. This year she has appeared in two films, namely Tully and Gringo.

Will Make A Ton In 2019: Eva Green

French actress Eva Green was born in 1980. She started her career in theatre before appearing in her first film, The Dreamers. She went ahead to be featured in hit films such as Casino Royale, White Bird in a Blizzard, Dark shadows, 300: Rise of an Empire, Sin City, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and Euphoria.

She has also appeared in two television shows, namely Camelot and Penny Dreadful. She is set to appear in the fantasy Walt Disney film Dumbo in March 2019.

Highest-Paid This Year: Emma Watson

England born actress Emma Watson grew to fame due to her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series. She made over $30 million alone for playing this role. She was cast in other major films like Noah, The Circle, and Beauty and the Beast and made tons of money from these movies.

She made a cool $15 million from the 2017 Disney film Beauty and the Beast. For Emma, acting is a passion, she is not so keen on how much she makes so we bet her bank balance is shockingly high.

Will Make A Ton In 2019: Brie Larson

Brie Larson is not only an actress but a musician and filmmaker as well. She has starred in several popular movies like Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, 21 Jump Street, and Room. She is set to play a leading role in the upcoming movie Captain Marvel, a superhero film set to be released in March 2019 that stars none other than Samuel L. Jackson.

Brie will afterward feature in the Untitled Avengers film scheduled to be released in May 2019, which is a direct sequel to 2018's Avengers: Infinity War that made $2 billion.

Highest-Paid This Year: Julia Roberts

Julia Roberts rose to fame after she filmed the romantic film Pretty Woman that grossed $464 million worldwide in 1990. Her subsequent movies were also successful and brought in a lot of money. She has made over $100 million since her career peaked in the 1990s.

Some of her big movies include My Best Friend’s Wedding, Runaway Bride, The Mexican, Oceans 11, Mona Lisa Smile, Closer, Eat Pray Love, and Mother’s day. This year she is set to appear in the film Ben is Back, and a television series, Homecoming, that is currently filming.

Will Make A Ton In 2019: Jessica Chastain

41-year-old Jessica Chastain is an award-winning actress. She appeared in TV for the first time in 2008 in the film, Jolene. She then took starring roles in other films like Take Shelter, The Tree of Life, The Help, Zero Dark Thirty, Salome, Interstellar, The Martian, and It: Chapter One.

She has also been featured as a guest star in several TV series. In 2019, Jessica will be joining the X-Men: Dark Phoenix film cast in a shapeshifter role and will star in a sequel of It: Chapter One that grossed $700 million.

Highest-Paid This Year: Amy Adams

Amy Adams had her first breakthrough back in 2002 when she starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in the crime film Catch Me If You Can.

She appeared in several other films and television series after this and in 2013 she began playing Lois Lane in the superhero films; Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, all of which were big box office hits.

In 2017, Amy made $10.5 million from acting. She recently appeared in the television series Sharp Objects and has a few films in production.

Will Make A Ton In 2019: Zendaya

Zendaya Coleman is currently 21 years old. She rose to fame when she featured in the film, Spider-Man: Homecoming as Michelle Jones. The film generated a worldwide gross income of $880 million. She has starred in other films such as Super Buddies, The Greatest Showman, and Duck Duck Goose.

Her very first television role was when she played Rocky Blue in the Shake It Up series. Zendaya has been signed again to star in the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home film, which will premier in July 2019.

Highest-Paid This Year: Sofia Vergara

Sofia Vergara has topped the highest paid TV actress list by Forbes Magazine for several years now. In 2017, she made approximately $41.5 million from starring in the sitcom Modern Family as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett. Sofia reportedly makes $500,000.00 from one episode of the show.

She also has numerous licensing and endorsement deals that greatly contribute to her income with brands like Diet Pepsi, furniture store Rooms To Go, cosmetic company CoverGirl, and Synthroid.

Will Make A Ton In 2019: Jennifer Garner

Texas-born actress Jennifer Garner gained recognition from the television series Alias that aired from 2001 to 2006. She appeared in several other famous films such as Elektra, 13 Going On 30, Daredevil, Pearl Harbor, Catch Me If You Can, The Odd Life Of Timothy Green, and Dude, Where’s My Car?

Garner made a whopping $1 million from her latest movie Love, Simon. Jennifer is scheduled to star in the upcoming films Peppermint and Wonder Park that will premier in September 2018 and March 2019 respectively.

Highest-Paid This Year: Kaley Cuoco

Kaley Cuoco first major role was in the ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules that aired from 2002 to 2005. In 2007, she landed a spot in The Big Bang Theory, a television comedy that still airs up to today.

The main stars of the sitcom make $1 million per episode including Kaley, which propelled her to become the second highest paid TV actress in the world with an income of $26 million per year. She has also made appearances in other TV shows and films while filming The Big Bang Theory.

Will Make A Ton In 2019: Millie Bobby Brown

14-year-old Millie Bobby Brown was born in Spain but moved with her family to Los Angeles where she began pursuing acting. She debuted her acting career on the television show Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. She also featured as a guest star in other shows like Intruders, NCIS, Modern Family, and Grey’s Anatomy.

She became famous when she played as Eleven in the series Stranger Things in 2016. Millie is set to appear in her first film, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which will be released in May 2019. Its 2014 prequel, Godzilla made $529 million worldwide.

Highest-Paid This Year: Mindy Kaling

Mindy Kaling is an actress as well as a comedian and writer. She began making a fortune when she played the role of Kelly Kapoor in the sitcom The Office, which she sometimes helped to write, produce, and direct. From 2012 to 2017, Mindy starred in her own TV series The Mindy Project.

She made $140,000 from writing and producing the show. This year she has appeared in two box office hits; A Wrinkle in Time and Ocean’s 8. She also stars as Priya Patel in the 2018 television series Champions, which like previous sitcoms she is helping create and produce.

Will Make A Ton In 2019: Cate Blanchett

Australian actress Cate Blanchett who is also a theatre director has starred in over 50 films such as Elizabeth, The Aviator, Blue Jasmine, Lord of the Rings, Cinderella, and Thor Ragnarok. Cate made $2 million in the How to Train a Dragon 2 film and $5 million in her latest movie Ocean's 8.

She is one actress guaranteed to make a ton of money in 2019. She will be starring in the upcoming fantasy films Mowgli, which will be released in October 2018 and How to Train a Dragon: The Hidden World, a sequel of her previous movie, which will hit the screens in 2019.

Highest-Paid This Year: Ellen Pompeo

Ellen Pompeo went from barely being able to pay her rent to become one of the highest paid actresses in the world. Her financial breakthrough came as a result of playing the role of Dr. Meredith Grey in the medical drama series Grey’s Anatomy.

Ellen had complained that her co-star Patrick Dempsey was making more than her but the producers refused to increase her salary until his departure from the show in 2015. She now makes $20 million a year from the show, which is in its 14th season.

Will Make A Ton In 2019: Evangeline Lilly

Evangeline Lily is a Canadian actress who became popular for her role as Kate Austen in the television series Lost, which ran for six seasons from 2004. Before she starred in Lost, Lily worked as an extra on film sets to help pay for her university tuition.

She appeared in The Hurt Locker, Real Steel, The Hobbit film series, Little Evil, Ant-Man, and its sequel Ant-Man and The Wasp. She will reprise a role in Avengers 4 that is set to be released sometime in April 2019. The Ant-Man and Avengers movies have all been great successes.

Highest-Paid This Year: Julie Bowen

Julie Bowen stars along Sofia Vergara in the comedy Modern Family, which premiered in 2009. The parents on the show are each making $500,000 per episode in the latest season of the show including Julie.

In addition, Julie also voices Queen Arianna in the TV animated series Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure. She has played minor roles in films like Jumping the Broom and Horrible Bosses. She appeared in the 2018 comedy film Life of the Party and got to work alongside Melissa McCarthy.

Will Make A Ton In 2019: Keira Knightley

Keira Knightley is a prominent British actress who has played leading roles in the American film industry. She debuted her acting career by taking a supporting role in the film Star Wars: Episode 1-The Phantom Menace.

She has starred in many television series and hit movies like Pirates of the Caribbean film series, Everest, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit the Imitation Game, and Begin Again. Keira is set to star in The Aftermath and Official Secrets in 2019. We have a good feeling she will make a ton of money next year for the films she's part of that will be released in 2019.

Highest-Paid This Year: Mariska Hargitay

Mariska Hargitay has been appearing on our television screens since the 1980s. She has played roles in crime dramas like FBI: The Untold Stories, Cracker: Mind Over Murder, Prince Street, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Chicago P.D., and recently Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In Law & Order, she plays the leading role as Lieutenant Olivia Benson who heads a special unit of detectives whose work is to investigate rape crimes.

Mariska’s role in the show made her $12.5 million last year making her one of the highest paid actresses. The show is still airing so Mariska must still be smiling all the way to the bank.

Will Make A Ton In 2019: Taraji P. Henson

Taraji P. Henson is a well-known actress who is also a singer and author. She has been featured in several popular films like Hustle & Flow, Think Like a Man, and Hidden Figures. She has been a star in several television shows including the musical drama Empire that has over 17 million viewers across the world.

Taraji continues to appear in the four films she was part of that continue to hit the big screens this year. These films include The Best of Enemies, Proud Mary, Acrimony, and Ralph Breaks the Internet. In January 2019, she will star in the film What Men Want.

Will Make A Ton In 2019: Naomi Scott

25-year-old Naomi Scott who was born in England is known for starring in Power Rangers, The Martian, and The 33. She has also appeared in television series; Life Bites, Lemonade Mouth, Terra Nova, By Any Means, and Lewis.

Naomi is set to play Princess Jasmine in Aladdin and a lead angel in Charlie’s Angels, which have had popular prequels. The films will debut in May and June 2019 respectively. Other than acting, Naomi is a singer and songwriter and has an extended play record.