You can either play the game, or let the game play you, and Robert Downey Jr. is certainly the master of the former. The actor has used his position as one of the most popular and beloved lynchpins of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to negotiate some very sweet back end deals on those movies. And that has made him rich. Very, very rich. Last year, he topped Forbes list of Hollywood’s highest paid actors and in 2015, he’s done it again.
READ MORE: Robert Downey Jr.’s Career In 7 Films
The magazine has dropped their annual ranking, which now includes international stars, and once again the real life Tony Stark is rolling in some major cheddar. $80 million dollars to be exact, and that buys a lot of creative freedom to do what he wants, like hire Paul Thomas Anderson to write a "Pinocchio" movie. And Adam Sandler movies may suck and critics might hate him, but he’s laughing all the way to the bank with over $40 million in his pocket. Meanwhile, say what you will about Vin Diesel‘s limited acting skills, but he’s monetizing them in a big way.
Check out the top ten below and the full list at Forbes.
Forbes World’s Highest Paid Actors 2015
1. Robert Downey Jr. — $80 million
2. Jackie Chan — $50 million
3. Vin Diesel — $47 million
4. Bradley Cooper — $41.5 million
5. Adam Sandler — $41 million
6. Tom Cruise — $40 million
7. Amitabh Bachchan — $33.5 million
8. Salman Khan — $33.5 million
9. Akshay Kumar — $32.5 million
10. Mark Wahlberg — $32 million
