Witherspoon Hollywood’s top-paid actress

updated 4:30 p.m. ET Nov. 30, 2007

LOS ANGELES - Even though her latest film, “Rendition,” was a flop, Reese Witherspoon is a moneymaker.

The 31-year-old Academy Award winner commands $15 million to $20 million a movie, placing her at the top of The Hollywood Reporter’s annual list of the highest-paid actresses.

Angelina Jolie came in second with similar salary demands, though the animated “Beowulf” earned the 32-year-old actress far less — just $8 million.

Cameron Diaz was third, with a $15 million-per-movie price tag. Nicole Kidman dropped to fourth place, two spots lower than last year, with an asking price of $10 million to $15 million a film.

Renee Zellweger and Sandra Bullock also get $10 million to $15 million paychecks. So does Julia Roberts, who hasn’t appeared on the big screen since 2004. Her next film, “Charlie Wilson’s War,” is due in theaters in December.

Rounding out the top 10 are Drew Barrymore and Jodie Foster, who ask $10 million to $12 million per project, and Halle Berry, who gets $10 million a picture.

“Traditionally, the top male actors — like Mel Gibson and Tom Cruise — make around $30 million per film, with a piece of the film’s profits,” Michelle Grabicki, associate features editor at the trade publication, told The Associated Press.

According to an AP-calculated look at executive pay, published in June, typical A-list stars such as Brad Pitt or Leonardo DiCaprio earn $20 million plus 20 percent of the gross box office take per movie.

“Men traditionally command a higher salary than the women,” Grabicki said. “It’s a newer trend, women getting a percentage of the back end. Cameron Diaz is catching up with the men.”

Grabicki said Diaz made around $30 million for “Shrek 3” because of a generous share of the film’s profits. She did not know the percentage.

The Hollywood Reporter’s salary list only looked at two actresses — Diaz and “Grey’s Anatomy” star Katherine Heigl — in terms of what they also make with box office film profits included, Grabicki said.

The salary list appears in The Hollywood Reporter’s “Women in Entertainment: Power 100” issue, on newsstands Tuesday.

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