The gender pay gap is an important (and contentious) point of focus for women globally as we’re still at the frontline, fighting to earn as much as our male counterparts do. Jennifer Lawrence’s recent outrage about being paid $5 million less than her co-star Leonardo Dicaprio in Netflix’s Don’t Look Up marks one of many moments women have actively voiced their discontent about Hollywood’s pay gap. An issue so pertinent to Hollywood, we see it everywhere…
To put this all into perspective, In 2018, Michelle Williams was paid eight times less than co-star Mark Wahlberg for her role in “All the Money in the World” and 1,500 times less for reshoots. After a number of sexual misconduct allegations were made against Kevin Spacey, who was then removed from the film by director Ridley Scott, co-stars Mark and Michelle were due to reshoot. Mark Wahlberg was paid $1.5 million for reshoots, while Michelle received less than $1,000. That is less than one-tenth of 1% of what her male co-star earned…
In 2021, Vanity Fair reported that Jennifer Lawrence was paid $25 million – $5 million less than her co-star Leonardo Di Caprio for their co-starring roles in Don’t Look Up. Lawrence shared:
“I saw that too. Look, Leo brings in more box office than I do. I’m extremely fortunate and happy with my deal. But in other situations, what I have seen—and I’m sure other women in the workforce have seen as well—is that it’s extremely uncomfortable to inquire about equal pay. And if you do question something that appears unequal, you’re told it’s not gender disparity but they can’t tell you exactly what it is.
She continued “I’ve tried to get over it and I really can’t. I can’t. I’m sorry I’m just unleashing, but I can’t fuck with people who aren’t political anymore. You live in the United States of America. You have to be political. It’s too dire. Politics are killing people.”
She added, “I don’t want to disparage my family, but I know that a lot of people are in a similar position with their families. How could you raise a daughter from birth and believe that she doesn’t deserve equality? How?”
Many of our favourite female leads, like Jessica Chastain, Michelle Williams, Jennifer Lawrence, Patricia Arquette, Charlize Theron, Robin Wright, Emmy Rossum and Gillian Anderson have all spoken up about Hollywood’s pay gap, and have demanded to be paid equally and in accordance with their male co-stars.
Women should not have to reason as to why they should be paid the same as their male counterparts. It shouldn’t be a discussion or point of negotiation. This is the problem in Hollywood. It takes threats of ‘going public’ for producers to fork out the money, which these women (rightfully) deserve. We commend the women who are actively bringing these issues to the foreground.
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Feauture image: Dior
