'A' List Actors Earning Outrageous Amounts Of Money

It’s no secret world-famous actors can command paychecks the rest of us only dream about, but just how much are they earning? It can be hard to tell since so many stars make a large chunk of their money based on how well a film performs as well as through merchandising deals. However, based on Forbes' list of the highest paid actors and actresses in 2015, here are some of the most highly paid performers in the industry.

Melissa McCarthy

Melissa McCarthy first gained attention for her role as Sookie St. James on the witty television show, Gilmore Girls. She played the role for all seven seasons and has continued on to become one of the top grossing actresses in Hollywood. Since she was tapped to play Abby Yates on a gender-bent and rebooted Ghostbusters film, she has been the subject of controversy.

Controversy has not kept McCarthy from earning her payday, however. Her 2015 earnings of twenty-three million dollars won her the third spot on the Forbes list of highest paid actresses. She announced several new projects in 2015, including The Memory of Running, Cousin Irv, and Just Do It. McCarthy also returned to Netflix’s revival of the Gilmore Girls series, Gilmore Girls: Year In The Life.

It wasn’t always acting that excited Melissa McCarthy. She studied textiles at Southern Illinois University, and her original move to New York was to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology. After she began to find success acting, McCarthy teamed up with Sunrise Brands to manufacture Melissa McCarthy Seven7. The clothing line offers women’s sizes up to 28.

McCarthy is outspoken about the body-shaming she has faced as a plus-sized woman. In interviews, the actress has discussed how individuals do not stop at size 12, and how malls segregate plus sized clothing in separate sections and even stores. Her clothing line debuted on the Home Shopping Network in 2015 and will expand to major retailers.