We all know that there is a lot of money to be made in Hollywood, and actors are at the top of the salary food chain as the onscreen talent—or, the people we connect most with when we watch a film. Despite online streaming sites' attempts to make their services seem like the most appealing option (and it often is), people still flock to the theaters to witness the latest stars make their marks on the big screen. As long as that's happening, the top-billed actors and actresses of Hollywood continue to receive outrageous paychecks for their involvement in blockbuster productions. Hollywood Reporter recently revealed just how large those amounts actually are in a report they published late last month, which highlights the big ticket earners for this year—otherwise known as members of what they call the "$20 million club." Leonardo DiCaprio tops the list with a whopping $25 million up front for The Wolf of Wall Street. Sandra Bullock ranks in second with $20 million initially, with total earnings amounting to a staggering $70 million for Gravity. Here is a quick infographic of Hollywood's biggest earners:
Now that you've turned upside down to read the entire wheel, you may be thinking the same thing we are—where are all the women? It's no secret that the movie industry contains a certain level of gender inequality, but with so many leading ladies in big-budget productions, we assumed that there would be more than three women among the top earners. The article did highlight one more female not shown in this graph: comedic actress Melissa McCarthy, who also broke the $15 million mark. Still, it leaves us with a slightly bitter taste in our mouths to be so starkly reminded of just how far we still have to go to break that glass ceiling, even in a field where women are so highly regarded and treasured. Perhaps, if Hollywood would close the pay gap between its actors and actresses, it might just set a precedent for all other businesses around the country and the world to follow. After all, people look to Hollywood for almost everything else: fashion, advice, life practices, even baby names. Hopefully, seeing this in such a visual form opens the industry's eyes to the reality of the situation.