November 6, 2011 17:35

Drew Barrymore and Eddie Murphy named Hollywood's most overpaid stars

Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon also make Forbes' top 10

Eddie Murphy and Drew Barrymore have been named the most overpaid actor and actress working in Hollywood this year. Barrymore topped the Forbes list after returning just 40 cents for every $1 (24p for 62p) of investment in her talents. She has recently starred in movies such as Everybody's Fine and 2007's Lucky You. Although the Barrymore-produced He's Just Not Into You earned a healthy $180 million globally, Forbes did not count this as she "wasn't really the star of the film".

Meanwhile, Murphy came second on the list, returning $2.70 for every $1, with Will Ferrell, Reese Witherspoon and Denzel Washington completing the top 5.

Forbes created the list by looking at the 40 highest-earning actors in Hollywood. To qualify, they each had to have starred in at least three films over the past five years that opened in more than 500 cinemas, with movies released after May 1, 2011 not counted.

The Forbes Most Overpaid Hollywood Stars top 10 is:
1. Drew Barrymore ($0.40 return)
2. Eddie Murphy ($2.70)
3. Will Ferrell ($3.50)
4. Reese Witherspoon ($3.55)
5. Denzel Washington ($4.25)
6. Nicolas Cage ($4.40)
7. Adam Sandler ($5.20)
8. Vince Vaughn ($5.20)
9. Tom Cruise ($6.35)
10. Nicole Kidman ($6.70)