What is so special about Nicole Kidman that she became the world's highest-paid actress?

As of today, Nicole Kidman is a very big name in Hollywood, and her name alone helps movies earn strong box-office collections. Speaking of the highest-paid actress, in 2024 Forbes named Nicole Kidman on its list of the world's highest-earning actresses. Going by 2024 figures, her earnings stood at $31 million, while her gross income was $41 million. And in the overall worldwide ranking, which included both male and female actors, she was placed 8th.

It feels great to read about how much an actress is earning and that she is the highest-paid actress in the world, but it was not easy for Kidman. It took her 17 years to reach this level.

Even before 2024, Nicole Kidman had become Hollywood's highest-paid actress in 2006 and 2007, when she overtook Julia Roberts.

Back in 2006, her earnings were around $28 million, and she charged $16–17.5 million per movie.

Nicole Kidman made one very smart move that is a big reason she is the world's highest-paid actress today: she realized early that the future of cinema was changing and that the era of streaming was coming.

So she started working on OTT platforms and took on several projects, which earned her a substantial income. Within a single year, she delivered blockbuster shows, with The Perfect Couple, Lioness, and Expats becoming hugely popular. According to some reports, she charged a fee of more than ₹8.4 crore per episode, which is about $1 million.

If you look at her overall earnings, OTT has played a very big role.

She is still the highest-paid actress today, but one thing worth noting is that she is 57. Usually, actresses in Hollywood don't get much work at this age, but that's not the case with her. At 57, she is getting a lot of work.

In 2024, Nicole Kidman was the only actress to make it onto Forbes' list.

These are the top 10 movies of Nicole Kidman's career that made her such a big name.

The Hours, Moulin Rouge!, The Others, Lion, Eyes Wide Shut, To Die For, Aquaman, Paddington. Cold Mountain, Batman Forever

These are the television shows starring Nicole Kidman that are considered among the best on OTT.

Big Little Lies (HBO / JioCinema), The Undoing (HBO / JioCinema), Lioness (Paramount+ / Amazon Prime Video), Scarpetta (Amazon Prime Video), The Perfect Couple (Netflix), Nine Perfect Strangers (Hulu / Amazon Prime Video), Expats (Amazon Prime Video)

This journey began in 1990, and to this day Nicole Kidman continues to dominate the entire entertainment world. She has also won an Oscar for The Hours, and such a combination is rare, which is why filmmakers aren't afraid to place big bets on her.