There's A New List Of The Most Overpaid Actors In The World

I think Hugh Grant best summed up acting when he said: "Most actors really love it, that's what they want to do. They burn to do it. And so they'll read a script and think, that's an interesting part. And because they love acting, that blinds them to the fact that the rest of it is pretentious nonsense, which it very often is."

Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate a good film, but most actors behave as if what they're doing is sent from god: the most important, serious thing going.

Grant's not a believer himself: "I've never been tempted to do the part where I cry or get AIDS or save some people from a concentration camp just to get good reviews. I genuinely believe that comedy acting, light comedy acting, is as hard as, if not harder than serious acting, and it genuinely doesn't bother me that all the prizes and the good reviews automatically by knee-jerk reaction go to the deepest, darkest, most serious performances and parts. It makes me laugh."

Forbes compiled the list by "looking at the last three films each actor starred in before June 2016, save animated films, movies where the actor appeared in an insignificant role, or movies that were released on fewer than 2,000 screens."

They then compare how much money the movies made versus how much the actor was paid.

Topping the list was Johnny Depp, as his last three movies returned just $2.80 at the box office for every $1 he was paid on them.

Second was Will Smith who has had a bad run at the box office, returning a dismal $5 at the ticket booth for every $1 he earned from his recent films.

Third-ranked was Channing Tatum, who made the cut despite having scored some notable hits. Magic Mike XXL did well at the box office, notching $122 (£97) million on a $14.8 (£11.77) million budget, but Tatum still returns just $6 at the box office for every $1 paid.

Will Ferrell's return rate was $6.50 at the ticket booth for every $1 he earns, which is even worse than his $6.80 ROI last year. This was mainly thanks to Zoolander 2, which managed just $56 (£44.54) million at cinemas from a $50 (£39.76) million budget.

The top five was completed by George Clooney, whose box office returns have fallen to $6.70 for every $1 paid.

The rest of the top 10 was...

6. Adam Sandler - $7.60 for every $1 paid.

7. Mark Wahlberg - $9.20 for every $1 paid.

8. Leonardo DiCaprio - $9.90 for every $1 paid.

9. Julia Roberts - $10.80 for every $1 paid.

10. Bradley Cooper - $12.10 for every $1 paid.

Featured image credit: PA