The next time someone says athletes can’t act, point them to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
The Miami Hurricanes’ football player turned wrestler turned action film superstar now holds the number one spot on Forbes‘ annual list of highest-paid actors, pulling ahead of last year’s top earner Robert Downey, Jr. Johnson made a whopping $64.5 million last year, more than double the amount he made during a previous cycle, Forbes reports.
It shouldn’t come as a total surprise: The People’s Champion has already picked up advanced paychecks for his roles in Central Intelligence, a big screen adaptation of Baywatch also starring comedian Kevin Hart, and the next installment of the Fast and the Furious film franchise, Fast 8, starring his frenemy Vin Diesel.
Not to mention Johnson took a lead role in the HBO series Ballers last year, now in its second season, and inked an endorsement deal with Under Armour (UA) to create his own line of workout gear. The “Project Rock Collection” features a cross-training shoe and otherwise fitness promos that showcase Johnson’s athletic lifestyle.
Forbes ranks Kung-Fu master Jackie Chan next, who came in second place with $61 million, bolstered by movies that successfully launched in China’s film market. Actor Matt Damon, a.k.a. “Jason Bourne,” is in third with $55 million.
Johnson’s fellow action stars Tom Cruise and Johnny Depp are fourth and fifth on the list, earning a respective $53 million and $48 million, according to Forbes. Harrison Ford’s supporting role as Han Solo in Disney’s (DIS) Star Wars: The Force Awakens helps him grab sixth place, the first time the actor has appeared in the rankings since 2009.
Diesel himself finishes in seventh with $35 million, followed by Downey and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan. The two actors tie for eighth with $33 million.
Khan’s fellow Bollywood heartthrob Akshay Kumar tied with Brad Pitt for 10th place on the list with each earning 31.5 million.
The world’s highest paid actress, Jennifer Lawrence, only earned $46 million this year, 71% less than the highest paid man, Forbes reports.
