Forbes Highest Paid Actress List Lacks Women of Color
Make it five years since a woman of color has appeared on Forbes’ yearly list Hollywood’s highest paid actresses.
The magazine published its list, and women of color are once again noticeably absent.
Forbes released its annual list of highest-paid actresses and Kristen Stewart tops the list, raking in $34.5 million over the past year. The 22-year-old most recently anchored the popular Twilight franchise and this summer’s Snow White & the Huntsman.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the list is lack of representation for a single woman of color. This year there is no minority women in the top 10. The last woman of color to crack the top ten was Halle Berry in 2007 after co-starring in the blockbuster X-Men: The Last Stand, making $15 million that year.
Unless it’s a Tyler Perry–or Steve Harvey–production, the paucity of women of color on screen would be laughable it weren’t so frustratingly sad. Clearly, there are a slew of talented actresses of color, but if her name isn’t Latifah, Berry, or Lopez, the chances of seeing her on the big screen are practically zero.
How do actresses, directors, and writers of color counter this trend?
Is there hope in Hollywood, or should that dream be abandoned altogether for new venues, such as new media, to have our stories heard and our faces seen?
Sound off below!