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Top 10 most powerful women in Hollywood

They have the power to draw millions of people, the ability to shape the films they star in, and the sass to take over the reins by opting to produce, write and even direct; making sure they get the right roles at the right time. Move over Julia Roberts, these are now the 10 most powerful actresses in Hollywood

1. Reese Witherspoon
2. Nicole Kidman
3. Drew Barrymore
4. Catherine Zeta Jones
5. Sandra Bullock
6. Angelina Jolie
7. Uma Thurman
8. Jennifer Aniston
9. Salma Hayek
10. Courteney Cox

Reese Witherspoon

Earnings per film:

Up to $30 million - up there with Tom Cruise and Jim Carrey.

Industry acclaim:

2006 Best Actress Oscar for Walk The Line, as well as a Bafta and a Golden Globe.

Go for it:

The lady who called her production company Type A Films (based on her mother's nickname for her, Little Type A) is not someone to mess with.

She took a risk on Walk The Line, a departure from her usual romantic comedy fare, but with the golden statuette on her mantlepiece, it paid off and made her the most highly-paid woman ever in Hollywood.

Thanks to the Legally Blonde films, she is enormously popular with a wide audience and she makes no bones about the fact she has had to toughen up in order to gain her power. 'You have to be focused and a little tough as a young woman, because people can overpower you. It takes a certain type of tenacious personality to deal with rejection.' She explains: 'When I first came to LA, all I heard was "No, not right, not tall enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough." But I didn't really care about their opinion. I'm stubborn.

'People want movies that make you feel good, that make you believe in love, in hope, in life, in humanity,' says Reese, 30, not without irony, as it is reported she is now separating from the man she married at 21, Ryan Phillippe.

Power plus points:

Despite the millions, Reese insists she doesn't have a nanny because she likes to be a 'hands on mother' to two kids Ava and Deacon. She takes the children to school, cooks dinner and reads them stories.

Nicole Kidman

Earnings per film:

Commands $22 million.

Industry acclaim:

Best Actress Oscar winner in 2003 for The Hours, and a three-times Golden Globe winner for The Hours, Moulin Rouge and To Die For.

Go for it:

Nicole, 39, plays down her power and says she simply adores her job. 'I don't see myself as terribly powerful or successful. I see myself more as just absolutely loving what I do,' she says.

But the former Mrs Tom Cruise has plenty of clout in Hollywood, backing Meg Ryan's sexy film In the Cut and lending her voice to the United Nations Women's Rights campaigns.

'I produced In the Cut because it was a book I read years ago and I used my own money to buy the rights and gave it to [director] Jane [Campion] because I thought it would interest her. I have no desire to direct. I am terrible about making decisions and being a director you have to make many, many decisions constantly.

'When I was 14 and first started out as an actress in Australia, acting meant getting a pay cheque, getting to miss school and getting to eat all the chocolate cake I wanted. Back then, I enjoyed making movies. Now I respect being allowed to make them and to work with some of the greatest writers, directors and actors in the profession today.' She continues: 'It's more about just having the blessings at the moment, to do things creatively, and express things that I have going on inside my head.'

Power plus points:

Not charging millions for her wedding pictures during her recent marriage to singer Keith Urban, but asking instead for donations to be made to an Australian children's hospital.

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