Natalie Portman, Kristen Stewart Top Forbes Bankable Stars List

Natalie Portman and Kristen Stewart have been counted among Hollywood’s most sound investments. In other words, these actors and actresses are more likely than others to make studios a substantial amount of money.

The folks at Forbes magazine have unleashed their annual list of Hollywood’s Best Actors For The Buck. Towards the beginning of the month, the publication explored the other end of the spectrum by naming the folks who weren’t earning their salaries.

According to E! Online, the publication takes a look at how much money celebrities make at the box office. After comparing it to the amount of zeroes on their respective paychecks, researchers then determine each individual’s return on investment.

Although she failed to star in any movies over the course of 2012, Natalie Portman still rose to the top of Forbes’ list. For every dollar she was paid, Portman returned an impressive $42.70. The actress has appeared in a number of box office hits, including Kenneth Branagh’s Thor and Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan.

Producers behind such upcoming projects as Knight of Cups and director Lynne Ramsay’s Jane Got a Gun are hoping the actress’ involvement will help generate some serious cash at the box office.

Given the worldwide success of the Twilight series, Kristen Stewart’s appearance on this list isn’t all that surprising. Stewart’s reported return on investment is $40.60, a figure that was heavily influenced by the popularity of the aforementioned franchise.

Stewart’s cohorts Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner also made the list with a little help from a few sensitive vampires and the people who love them. Unfortunately for Lautner, life outside of Twilight has been rocky; Box Office Mojo shows that his 2011 thriller Abduction only made $28 million in the United States.

However, the biggest surprise is Shia LaBeouf, who arrives in the third place position with a $35.80 return on investment. Although the actor has reportedly turned his back on big budget Hollywood productions, he can’t say that Transformers wasn’t good for his bank account.

Earlier this month, Forbes cited Eddie Murphy, Katherine Heigl, Reese Witherspoon, Sandra Bullock, and Jack Black as the stars most unworthy of their paychecks.

Are you surprised that Natalie Portman, Kristen Stewart, and Shia LaBeouf have topped Forbes’ most bankable stars list?