The Emmys are tonight and out of the long list of accomplished actors and actresses, one reigns supreme as the highest-earning nominee. That is something Reese Witherspoon can console herself with, since odds re that she will lose out on the Emmy for Outstanding Actress in Limited Series or TV Movie to her Big Little Lies co-star Nicole Kidman.
Of course, a majority of the successful actors, actresses, writers, and directors have earned a better than average living over the course of their careers, however, Reese Witherspoon has earned more than any of her fellow Emmy nominees. Since 2002, Witherspoon has made a staggering $198 million in earnings. When you take into account Witherspoon's film roles before 2002, which include Election, Cruel Intentions, and Pleasantville, her total career earnings to date skyrocket even higher.
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Witherspoon, who has an Oscar win on her resume, pulls in mid-seven figure checks for a starring role plus a large percentage of backend grosses. For her role as Madeline in HBO's Big Little Lies, Witherspoon took home $5 million. The mini-series was a huge hit with both audiences and critics and received 16 Emmy nominations.
Big Little Lies was Witherspoon's first breakout television role despite working as an actress since she was a teenager. Reese was also one of the executive producers of the HBO series. Witherspoon is slated to star in another television project about morning talk show hosts with Jennifer Aniston.
The next highest-earning Emmy nominee is Witherspoon's Big Little Lies co-star Nicole Kidman. She has made more than $150 million in earnings since 2002. Kidman makes eight figures for film roles, but is scheduled to make a return to TV in the BBC series Top of the Lake
The Primetime Emmy awards air on Sunday, September 17th on CBS.
