At 57, the highest-paid actress in the world continues to churn out romantic dramas and even appeared in three TV shows in 2024.

When Forbes released its most recent list of the world’s highest-paid actors, people noticed one thing. It was more male-dominated than it had been in recent years.

Only three women made it to the top 20, and none of them were ‘young stars’. In fact, the world’s highest-paid actress of 2024 is 57 years old, an age when few women are getting the ‘leading lady’ part.

Yet, this superstar has not just managed to maintain her stature but also make films on her own terms.

Nicole Kidman attends the 82nd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., January 5, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Cole(REUTERS)

The world’s highest-paid actress

According to the Forbes list, Nicole Kidman was the highest-paid actress in the world in 2024.

With $31 million net (and $41 million gross) earnings in the year, the Australian actor beat all female actors around the world. She was eighth in the overall list, ahead of Will Smith and Adam Sandler and just behind George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

Forbes described Nicole as the ‘reigning queen of AMC Theaters’, adding that she “has become one of the most bankable stars in the TV miniseries space”.

How Nicole Kidman beat younger stars

Nicole Kidman ruled 2024 by virtue of being part of several high-profile projects, all of which revolved around her stardom.

She starred in three shows – The Perfect Couple(Netflix), Lioness (Paramount+), and Expats (Amazon Prime Video) – raking in $1 million per episode in all of them.

In addition, Nicole also starred in two romances – Babygirl and A Family Affair. Both these films were successful, and both featured her character opposite younger men.

These allowed Nicole to top the list for the first time in 17 years. The last time she was the world’s highest-paid actress was back in 2007, when she made $28 million.

Where are the young stars?

The absence of young stars in the list is not limited just to the top spot. The other two women in the top 20 are Mariska Hargitay (61 years old) and Scarlett Johansson (40 years old).

Both of them made over $25 million in 2024. However, stars like Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, and Florence Pugh did not make it to the list as they appeared in supporting roles or aren’t considered as ‘bankable’.

“Their fees have jumped for future projects, say representatives around Hollywood, and they are among the hardest actors to book right now, but the consensus is that they will need to continue to prove that the success came as a direct result of their billing in order to achieve top earnings in future years,” wrote Forbes.