--- description: Johnny Depp has ascended from No. 2 to the top spot of a rather ignominious list title: Johnny Depp Tops List of Hollywood's Most Overpaid Actors image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt432d6ed39b971968/698876abbc6cfc0f0a3dafc4/4922941681.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [celebrities](/tag/celebrities/) ## celebrities Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Johnny Depp Tops List of Hollywood's Most Overpaid Actors by [Oliver Gettell / Entertainment Weekly](/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## Oliver Gettell / Entertainment Weekly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 23, 2015 3:54 AM CUT  Johnny Depp attends a screening of "Black Mass" during the BFI London Film Festival at Odeon Leicester Square on October 11, 2015 in London, England Johnny Depp attends a screening of "Black Mass" during the BFI London Film Festival at Odeon Leicester Square on October 11, 2015 in London, EnglandMike Marsland—WireImage/Getty Images by [Oliver Gettell / Entertainment Weekly](/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## Oliver Gettell / Entertainment Weekly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 23, 2015 3:54 AM CUT Johnny Depp has ascended from No. 2 to the top spot of a rather ignominious list. The _Mortdecai_ and _Transcendence_ star is the most overpaid actor in Hollywood, according to [_Forbes_’ annual ranking](http://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2015/12/22/hollywoods-most-overpaid-actors-of-2015-johnny-depp-leads-denzel-washington-will-ferrell/ "undefined"), with his recent movies returning just $1.20 for every $1 he was paid on them. Depp, who came in second to Adam Sandler [last year](http://www.ew.com/article/2014/12/23/forbes-most-overpaid-hollywood-actors-list-sandler-depp-stiller "undefined"), this time was followed by _The Equalizer_ star Denzel Washington ($6.50/$1), _Get Hard_ funnyman Will Ferrell ($6.80/$1), _Run All Night_ actor Liam Neeson ($7.20/$1), and _Focus_ leading man Will Smith ($8.60/$1). To compile the list, _Forbes_ looked at the last three films each actor starred in before June 2015 — not counting animated movies, cameos, or films released on fewer than 2,000 screens. The number-crunchers then examined the estimated production budgets, global box office grosses, and stars’ paydays to come up with a final return-on-investment figure. Depp, who has had monster box office success in the past, could get himself off the list with the upcoming sequels _Alice Through the Looking Glass_ next year and _Pirates of the_ _Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales_ in 2017. Meanwhile, _Forbes_’ best [bang-for-the-buck actors](http://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2015/12/21/hollywoods-best-actors-for-the-buck-2015-chris-evans-leads-mila-kunis-scarlett-johansson-and-more/ "undefined") include Chris Evans ($181.80/$1) and Mila Kunis ($87.30/$1). [_This article originally appeared on Entertainment Weekly_](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/12/22/johnny-depp-forbes-most-overpaid-actor "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4159755/johnny-depp-hollywood-overpaid-actor-list/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4159755/johnny-depp-hollywood-overpaid-actor-list/"},"headline":"Johnny Depp Tops List of Hollywood's Most Overpaid Actors","datePublished":"2015-12-23T03:54:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T13:36:08.407Z","description":"He's followed by Denzel Washington and Will Ferrell","url":"https://time.com/4159755/johnny-depp-hollywood-overpaid-actor-list/","keywords":["celebrities","Forbes","Johnny Depp"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt432d6ed39b971968/698876abbc6cfc0f0a3dafc4/4922941681.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Oliver Gettell / Entertainment Weekly"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt432d6ed39b971968/698876abbc6cfc0f0a3dafc4/4922941681.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"\"Black Mass\" - Virgin Atlantic Gala - BFI London Film Festival","caption":"\"Black Mass\" - Virgin Atlantic Gala - BFI London Film Festival","creditText":"Mike Marsland—WireImage/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/celebrities/","name":"celebrities"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4159755/johnny-depp-hollywood-overpaid-actor-list/","name":"Johnny Depp Tops List of Hollywood's Most Overpaid Actors"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Johnny Depp's Dogs Could Land Him In Prison","description":"Johnny Depp illegally brought his two dogs into Australia, and now he may face up to ten years in prison.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/fWQ6pqOD/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-05-26T15:32:54.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fWQ6pqOD.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4159755/johnny-depp-hollywood-overpaid-actor-list/","duration":"PT1M9S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4159755/johnny-depp-hollywood-overpaid-actor-list/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```