10 Years Ago, 1 Disney Movie’s Elephantine $33 Million Paycheck Turned Angelina Jolie into Hollywood’s Highest Paid Actress

Disney’s Maleficent made her the highest-paid actress at the time, earning her a whopping $33 million.

Angelina Jolie has established herself as one of the most influential and powerful actresses in the industry.

She has been in some of the most acclaimed and memorable films that have shown her versatility as an actress, cementing her status as a huge movie star, She is among the highest-paid actresses, owing to her huge star power.

Angelina Jolie in Wanted

In addition to starring in character-driven dramas, Jolie has also participated in some big-budget action films and studio blockbusters. One film in particular (made under Disney) made her the highest-paid actress at the time.

Also read: Angelina Jolie Loves Being “Stripped of” for $1.8 Billion Franchise

Disney’s Maleficent Made Angelina Jolie The Highest Paid Actress At The Time

Angelina Jolie has starred in some of the most popular films in the 2000s. She had also been paid a respectable sum of money for playing the lead in many of her films.

She is among the few actresses that have managed to bring huge success in female-led films. Her hit films like Wanted, Salt, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith earned her $15 million, $20 million, and $10 million respectively. (according to Celebrity Net Worth)

But her salary witnessed a huge jump for Disney’s 2014 film Maleficent. By then her star power had risen due to many back-to-back commercial successes of her films. As put by Forbes, Jolie was paid a whopping $33 million for the film, making her the highest-paid actress of 2013.

This level of pay was a rare occurrence before and Jolie made history by receiving such a huge paycheck for a studio film. She would later receive an even larger paycheck for starring in the studio’s Marvel venture Eternals, where she got $35 million. (according to Paycheck.in)

Angelina Jolie in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Angelina Jolie starred in Disney’s 2014 film Maleficent, as the titular powerful fairy of the Moors.

The film which also starred Elle Fanning Sam Riley, and Juno Temple among others, became a huge success and the crew returned for the 2019 sequel Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.

While promoting the sequel, Jolie expressed how she understands her character’s motivations and headspace. She opened up about how she relates to other characters misunderstanding her character in the film, something which Jolie herself has faced in real life She told Vanity Fair,

“There have been times in my life where I have felt misunderstood, like Maleficent, and not accepted. Early in my career, I did feel small and like an outcast. The public associated me [with] self-destructive behavior, and not as a serious actor. People thought of me only in that way, which was hard.”

While Jolie has been known for her personal hardships including her ugly divorce with Brad Pitt, she has always been able to stand strong and has continued doing good work.

She has always been an inspiration for women across the world. On the work front, she is currently shooting for Pablo Larrain’s Maria where she plays the famous American-born Greek soprano Maria Callas.