Topping the annual Forbes rankings of the highest-paid actors list for the second year in a row, the publication revealed that the wrestler-turned-movie star managed to rake in an eye-watering $US 87.5 million between June 2019 and June 2020, with $US 23.5 million of that coming from his starring role in his upcoming Netflix film Red Notice.
The 48-year-old made slightly less in 2020 than he did in 2019, after earning a whopping $US 89.4 million last year for starring in Jumanji: The Next Level, as well as several other projects.
Johnson’s rise to the top of Hollywood’s wealthiest is a far cry from a memorable day in 1995 when the then 22-year-old was cut from the Canadian Football league after just two games and forced to return home to live with his parents in Florida. He opened his wallet to find he had just $7 to his name.
The former WWE star said it was that “7 bucks moment” that changed everything. In fact, it’s the inspiration behind the name of his company that was launched in 2012, Seven Bucks Productions.
“The world was going to hear from me,” he decided. “I didn’t know how and when, but I started training again.”
Rather than follow his original dream of a career in football, the Moana star instead pursued a new passion of becoming a professional wrestler. The rest, as they say, is history.
Second place on the list happened to be awarded to Johnson’s Red Notice co-star Ryan Reynolds, who pulled in with $US 71.5 million since last year. Reynolds was paid less than Johnson for his upcoming role in the flick, earning $US 20 million, in addition to another $US 20 million from the streaming giant for Six Underground.
The Deadpool star is also reportedly making a third Netflix film, which will undoubtedly come with yet another hefty cheque.
Meanwhile, Mark Wahlberg came in third with $US 58 million, ahead of Ben Affleck and Vin Diesel, while Will Smith, Adam Sandler, and Jackie Chan also made an appearance on the list.
The highest-paid female actors for the same period are yet to be announced, though feathers were rightfully ruffled after it was revealed that last year’s top female earner Scarlett Johansson earned $US 56m – less than that year’s seventh-placed male actor.
