Meet the Youngest Actor Ever to Make Forbes’ Highest-Paid Actors List

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In 2025, the highest-paid actors and actresses in Hollywood include established stars alongside rising talent. Notably, Millie Bobby Brown has become the youngest actress to achieve top-level earnings.

At only 22 years old, Millie Bobby Brown made $26 million last year from her roles in Stranger Things and Netflix’s The Electric State. Forbes reports she’s the first actor of her generation to reach the top earners list, demonstrating how stars who began their careers with streaming services are changing what it means to be successful in Hollywood.

Despite the growing popularity of streaming, established movie stars continue to earn significant incomes. Scarlett Johansson topped the list of highest-paid actresses with $43 million, thanks to roles in Jurassic World: Rebirth, her first time directing a film, Eleanor The Great, and a return to a Wes Anderson project, The Phoenician Scheme. Her contracts, including a $20 million advance plus profit sharing, demonstrate that big-budget franchise films still offer substantial rewards for well-known actors.

In 2025, Reese Witherspoon made $26 million through her acting and producing work, including roles in Apple TV’s The Morning Show and the Amazon Prime Video rom-com You’re Cordially Invited, as well as projects from her Hello Sunshine company. Jennifer Aniston earned $20 million, thanks to continued payments from Friends, her part in The Morning Show, various endorsements, and her haircare line, LolaVie.

Cameron Diaz successfully returned to acting after a break with a lucrative deal worth around $45 million with Netflix. Her first film back, Back In Action, starring alongside Jamie Foxx, quickly became a hit, reaching 46.8 million viewers in its opening weekend and becoming one of Netflix’s most popular movies. She’s now set to reprise her beloved role as Princess Fiona in Shrek 5, demonstrating that well-known actors can still achieve major success with the right opportunity.

With traditional movie revenue becoming less certain due to factors like AI, studio mergers, and fewer people going to theaters, streaming services have become a dependable source of income for actors. While a big name doesn’t automatically mean a hit movie – examples like Dwayne Johnson’s The Smashing Machine, Julia Roberts in After The Hunt, and Glen Powell in The Running Man didn’t perform as expected – platforms like Netflix offer financial stability through guaranteed salaries and profit-sharing. Adam Sandler, who earned $48 million this year, is a prime example, consistently finding success with Netflix films like Happy Gilmore 2 and Jay Kelly, the latter even earning him award nominations.

It wasn’t just Reynolds, though. I’ve been reading about how other big names are cashing in with streaming too. Denzel Washington made a whopping $38 million for his latest film with Spike Lee, and Daniel Craig reportedly earned $27 million for the Knives Out sequels on Netflix. Even Mark Wahlberg is getting in on the action, pulling in $44 million from Apple TV+ and Prime Video projects. It really shows that if you’re a well-known actor, you can earn just as much – if not more – working with streamers as you would in traditional Hollywood.

I’ve been watching Millie Bobby Brown’s career, and it really feels like we’re seeing a shift in how stars are made in Hollywood. She basically started with Netflix – Stranger Things launched her, and now she’s headlining films like The Electric State. It’s amazing because she’s proving that you don’t need years of building up your resume or being part of a huge franchise to command a serious salary. One agent I spoke with put it perfectly: they’re going to keep pushing for higher rates, and the studios will likely keep trying to negotiate them down, but in those talks, the agents feel like they have the upper hand now.

It’s really interesting to see Brown on this list – it feels like things are changing in Hollywood. We’re still seeing the established stars like Johansson, Witherspoon, Aniston, and Diaz earning a lot, but these new faces from streaming services show the industry is evolving. It’s clear big names still matter for major movies and series, but Netflix and other platforms are giving a new generation of actors a chance to really break through.

Looking at earnings for 2025, we see a shift in how actors make money. While established stars continue to earn from movies, producing, and sponsorships, streaming projects are now the fastest-growing income source for up-and-coming actors. Millie Bobby Brown’s high ranking on Forbes’ list of top earners highlights this change and positions her as a particularly promising talent in the current Hollywood environment.

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2026-03-14 16:45