Julia Roberts has got clout.
Just ask The Hollywood Reporter, who has voted the “Erin Brockovich” actress to the No. 3 spot on their annual 50 most influential women in show biz list, which comes out today.
And what’s noteworthy is that Roberts is the only actress to make the trade paper’s titular power index — which is commonly populated by largely unrecognizable entertainment suits and exec types — in nine years.
“We tend not to focus on talent (actresses) because the list was first created to turn the spotlight on women who are doing a great job and go largely unnoticed, but Julia Roberts is in a class by herself,” the Reporter’s editorial director of special issues, Paula Parisi, told Reuters.
And the class that Parisi spoke of is Roberts‘ $20 million per picture salary (the highest for any and all actresses), her marketability and her ability to secure financing, as evident with the type of boost she brought to ex-Disney head Joe Roth’s Revolution Studios after she was signed in February.
“Getting Joe Roth funding for Revolution was an important demonstration of Julia Roberts‘ influence,” Parisi said.
And if those reasons aren’t enough, there’s always the good old fashion star power, as the actress’s debut has come to virtually eclipse the attention for the list’s chart toppers — Chairman and Chief Executive of Paramount Pictures Sherry Lansing (No. 1) and Chairman of Production for Universal Pictures Stacy Snider (No. 2).
