Superhero Black Widow is a woman at the top of her game, and so is the actress who plays her – Scarlett Johansson is the world's highest paid actress for the second year in a row, according to Forbes's annual ranking published Friday.
Johansson, 34, earned 15.5 million dollars more than she did in 2018, primarily due to the immense global success of "Avengers: Endgame" – the final chapter of the saga – for which she earned 35 million dollars.
Scarlett Johansson speaks at the Marvel Studios Panel during 2019 Comic-Con International at San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. /VCG Photo
The actress will take up the Black Widow mantle again in 2020 for an eponymous spinoff film.
But even though Johansson and her cohorts on the list all earned more than 20 million dollars, pay inequality is alive and well in Hollywood. Johansson earned 56 million dollars total over the past year, but that amount lands her at only eighth place for the combined list of highest-paid actors and actresses.
According to the Forbes ranking of highest-paid actors in the world, published Wednesday, Downey Jr. comes in at third place with 66 million total, behind fellow Avenger Chris Hemsworth (76.4 million dollars) and Dwayne Johnson (89.4 million dollars).
For the women, second place goes to Sofia Vergara, an industry veteran but a newcomer to the list. The "Modern Family" sitcom star earned 44.1 million dollars between June 1, 2018 and June 1, 2019.
She is followed by Reese Witherspoon (35 million dollars) and Nicole Kidman (34 million dollars), costars on the series "Big Little Lies."
Scarlett Johansson accepts The Female Movie Star of 2018 award for 'Avengers: Infinity War' on stage. /VCG Photo
Jennifer Aniston, who came in third in 2018 mainly due to advertising campaigns for major brands, has been relegated to fifth place with a mere 28 million dollars for the year. The former "Friends" star – a show which also featured a guest appearance from Witherspoon – stars in a new series for Apple's on-demand web television service.
Other new list arrivals include Elisabeth Moss, boosted by the series "The Handmaid's Tale," and Australian actress Margot Robbie.
Angelina Jolie, who was number two on the list in 2018, did not make the cut this year, along with Julia Roberts, Cate Blanchett and Jennifer Lawrence.
(Cover image via VCG)