Performers were ranked on their ability to secure financing for a film, obtain studio distribution and open a film to blockbuster status on the strength of their name alone.
Hollywood’s favorite leading man has proven once again that nice guys don’t always finish last.
Tom Hanks, well-known for being a down-to-earth guy, tops this year’s Hollywood Reporter Star Power survey, which named him the most bankable man in the biz.
Key entertainment executives participated in the confidential poll, putting Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise – 1998’s list-topper – Harrison Ford and Jim Carrey right behind two-time Academy Award-winner Hanks.
Focusing on the bankability of 525 actors and actresses, the execs were asked to rank the performers on their ability to secure financing for a film, obtain studio distribution and open a film to blockbuster status on the strength of their name alone.
“What’s surprising about this year’s list is the group of actors who just shot up the list in one year,” said John Burman, Director of the Star Power project.
Burman is referring to actors such as Gwyneth Paltrow (No. 21), Cameron Diaz (No. 22), Ben Affleck (No. 42) and Will Smith (No. 14) who saw their Star Power on the top of the list.
Burman owes their rise to bankability-fame to the “interconnectivity” in today’s world. He says tools like the Internet and TV have given these up-and-comers a smooth ride in becoming an audience favorite.
Julia Roberts was the highest-ranking female on the list, at No. 8. Meg Ryan (No. 16) and Jodie Foster (No. 18) were the only other women to make the survey’s Maximum Star Power rank.
Josh Hartnett (“The Faculty”) and Kimberly Elise (“Beloved”) round out the bottom of the survey, making them the least bankable of the group.
“But this is an ever-evolving environment,” warns Burman.
“Things change fast in this town.”