16 of the highest paid movie roles of all time - including $100 million for a single film
16. Emma Stone as Mia in "La La Land"
$26 million
Source: Forbes
Stone topped Forbes' list of the world's highest paid actresses in 2017 with $26 million, most of that coming from her Oscar-winning role in the 2016 film "La La Land."
15. Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator in "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines"
$29 million
Source: Slate
Schwarzenegger promised that he'd be back for a third Terminator movie under some pretty specific circumstances, including a $29.25 million "pay or play" fee, which he would receive even if the movie wasn't made.
14. Jim Carrey as Carl Allen in "Yes Man"
$30 million
Source: Forbes
Carrey reportedly exchanged his salary for "Yes Man" for an ownership stake in the movie, which paid off.
13. Tom Hanks as Captain John Miller in "Saving Private Ryan"
$40 million
Source: Entertainment Weekly
Hanks has struck "act now, get paid later" deals on multiple films, in which he would receive a portion of the box office earnings. That got him at least $40 million for "Saving Private Ryan," but it's not his most lucrative deal.
12. Cameron Diaz as Elizabeth Halsey in "Bad Teacher"
$42 million
Source: Yahoo Finance
Diaz was paid a mere $1 million to get "Bad Teacher" produced, but received a portion of box office earnings, which secured her over $40 million for the movie. It's known as one of the most "legendary" deals in Hollywood history.
11. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man in "The Avengers"
$50 million
Source: GQ
It should come as no surprise that Downey gets paid a lot for his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he's confirmed that he got paid $50 million just for the first "Avengers" movie.
10. Leonardo DiCaprio as Dom Cobb in "Inception"
$50 million
Source: Forbes
DiCaprio earned at least $50 million for Christopher Nolan's 2010 film "Inception" just from box office earnings, but his deal also included home video and television sales. According to Forbes, he took a pay cut because the movie was so "risky," but he and Nolan agreed to split first dollar gross points.
9. Jack Nicholson as The Joker in "Batman"
$50 million
Source: Entertainment Weekly
Though Nicholson was paid $6 million up front for his role as the villainous Joker in the 1989 "Batman" film, he reportedly secured a lucrative deal that included box office earnings and merchandise sales from its sequels — that he didn't even appear in.
8. Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"
$55 million
Source: Forbes
Forbes reported in 2010 that "On Stranger Tides" — the fourth "Pirates" movie released in 2011 — was the most expensive movies ever made, with production costs of over $410 million. A large portion of those costs were due to paying staff and actors. Depp alone made $55 million for the movie.
In 2011, Depp admitted that he was "overpaid" for the "Pirates" movies, for which he has reportedly made over $300 million combined.
7. Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump in "Forrest Gump"
$60 million
Source: Entertainment Weekly
The box office hit "Forrest Gump" is another case in which Hanks opted for performance-based pay, in which he received an estimated $60 million.
6. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
$65 million
Source: Forbes
To get Ford back for a fourth "Indiana Jones" movie, Paramount agreed to a deal that split a large portion of the film's earnings between him, director Steven Spielberg, and producer George Lucas.
5. Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter in "Alice in Wonderland"
$68 million
Source: The Telegraph
According to the Telegraph, Depp earned 50 million pounds for "Alice in Wonderland," which is about $68 million in the US.
4. Sandra Bullock as Dr. Ryan Stone in "Gravity"
$70 million
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Bullock was paid $20 million up front for "Gravity," which is an impressive number on its own. But her deal also included 15% of box office revenue, which got her at least $70 million.
3. Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt in "Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol"
$75 million
Source: Forbes
Cruise earned $75 million from the fourth "Mission: Impossible" movie, "Ghost Protocol," which allowed him to top Forbes' most powerful actors list in 2012.
2. Will Smith as Agent J in "Men in Black 3"
$100 million
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Will Smith's performance-based pay for the third "Men in Black" movie got him $100 million of its $624 million gross.
1. Keanu Reeves as Neo in "The Matrix" trilogy
$250 million (combined)
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Between all three "Matrix" films, Keanu Reeves' combined pay was $250 million.
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