Nobody would argue that 2010 has been an up-and-down year for Sandra Bullock, given her best actress Oscar for "The Blind Side" followed by her divorce from scandal-plagued husband Jesse James.
But on Tuesday, Bullock landed atop Hollywood's heap again when financial website Forbes.com named her the highest paid actress of the past 12 months having earned $56 million from two box office hits, romantic comedy "The Proposal" and football film, "The Blind Side."
Bullock not only received a fee for acting, but also participated in the profits, and for both films, the box office numbers were hefty, according to Forbes.com. "The Blind Side" took in nearly $310 million at global box offices on a budget of around $30 million, while "Proposal" racked up just under $320 million and cost roughly $40 million.
Tied for the No. 2 spot were Reese Witherspoon and Cameron Diaz, both making $32 million. Though Witherspoon has not been on screen since 2008, she received advance paychecks for upcoming films, "How Do You Know" and "Water for Elephants".
Diaz's pot of gold was filled with money from the "Knight and Day" and "Shrek" films, which have grossed $2.8 billion at the global box office.
Jennifer Aniston came in at fourth place with $27 million, and "Sex and the City" star Sarah Jessica Parker was No. 5 at $25 million.
To determine actresses' compensation, Forbes.com talked to talent agents, managers, producers and lawyers and looked at other means of revenue such as perfume and clothing lines and ad campaigns.
Forbes.com based its figures on earnings from June 2009 to June 2010. Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston were the highest paid actresses during a similar period one year earlier.
See the full list of Forbes.com Hollywood's Highest Paid Actresses. The full list can be found at http://www.forbes.com.
