The number crunchers at Forbes are always dazzling us with mathematically calculated lists of who rules the entertainment industry. Undoubtedly the most satisfying of these — especially for those of us with cold, cruel hearts — is the annual rundown of “Hollywood’s Most Overpaid Actors.” Although this would seem to be a subjective list, Forbes bases its rankings on which actors offer the worst return on investment — that is, which stars’ movies earn the least money relative to the amount they were paid to appear in them.
So, which A-listers aren’t earning their keep in 2011? Drew Barrymore tops the charts, and has the distinction of being the one actor whose films actually earn less than they spend to hire her — in fact, studios are averaging only 40 cents for every dollar they pay Barrymore. Eddie Murphy, with whom we expressed our frustration earlier this week, comes in second, returning about $2.70 on the dollar. See the full list after the jump, and get the details at Forbes .
Forbes‘ 10 Most Overpaid Actors in Hollywood, 2011
1. Drew Barrymore 2. Eddie Murphy 3. Will Ferrell 4. Reese Witherspoon 5. Denzel Washington 6. Nicolas Cage 7. Adam Sandler 8. Vince Vaughn 9. Tom Cruise 10. Nicole Kidman