2024-04-25 07:54:24
The salaries of actresses and actors… shocking sexual discrimination, and the differences number in the millions
“If my name was Oliver, I would be paid a lot more than I actually am.” British actress Olivia Colman struck a sarcastic tone, recalling the injustice actresses face due to the pay disparity between them and their male colleagues.
Coleman, Oscar winner in 2018 and known for her interpretation of the role of Queen Elizabeth in the third and fourth seasons of the series “The Crown” on Netflix, spoke a few weeks ago to journalist Christiane Amanpour on CNN. She has criticized gender discrimination in pay within the film and television industry. As for the reason for this decades-long phenomenon, it is, he explains, “an outdated assertion that male actors attract audiences more than female actresses.”
Actress Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth in “The Crown” (Netflix)
Highest paid actors…80 percent men
Despite the wave of vocal opposition to pay inequality in Hollywood, which began a decade ago, the reality has not improved. Forbes’ list of highest-paid actors in 2023 shows that 8 of the top 10 are men, while female actresses are limited to two spots on the list.
According to figures from Forbes, American actor Adam Sandler tops the list with an annual salary of $73 million. Actress Margot Robbie follows with $59 million, although Robbie’s arrival in second place is an exceptional case. Due to her starring role and production of the film “Barbie”, which broke all-time box office records last year.
Ruby has a female companion on the list, actress Jennifer Aniston, in sixth place with $42 million, while male actors make up the rest of the ranks, including Tom Cruise, Ryan Gosling, Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Margot Robbie is the highest-paid actress in 2023 thanks to her starring role and production in the film “Barbie” (Reuters)
The difference between men and women… a million dollars
According to an academic study prepared by a group of American researchers in 2017, the difference between the salaries of actresses and actors is 25 percent, or approximately one million and 100,000 dollars, in favor of men. As actors age, the gender pay gap widens. The actress over 50 earns $4 million less than her colleague of the same age, even though they are equally famous and widespread.
If Olivia Colman had enough courage to raise the subject, her predecessor in “The Crown”, actress Claire Foy, remained silent for a long time before what happened to her in the series was revealed. She appeared in a major role and in more scenes than actor Matt Smith, who played the character Prince Philip, but she was paid significantly less than him, simply because she is a woman.
Actress Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth in the series “The Crown” (Netflix)
Sony’s straw broke the camel’s back
In 2014, following Sony Pictures’ electronic systems were hacked, private emails from several company executives showed that actresses Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams were paid less than their “American Hustle” co-stars, Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale and Jeremiah Renner. This incident was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
But despite the noise caused by this scandal, and despite the fact that it gave actresses the audacity to reveal the financial injustice to which they are exposed, nothing has changed. The proof is that Jennifer Lawrence herself, 7 years following the events, received a salary of 5 million dollars less than that which her partner, actor Leonardo DiCaprio, received in the film “Don’t Look Up.”
Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio in the film “Don’t Look Up” (Netflix)
Dozens of unfair testimonies
Testimonies from actresses regarding their low salaries compared to their male colleagues are countless, and the 2017 #MeToo campaign helped elevate their voices, revealing many of Hollywood’s hidden behind-the-scenes stories.
Among the actresses who raised their voices that year was Michelle Williams, following discovering that her co-star in the film “All the Money in the World”, actor Mark Wahlberg, had received 1.5 million dollars to shoot certain scenes in the film. while she was satisfied with $1,000 for the film. As for the total work they starred in, Williams earned $625,000, while her partner received a salary of $5 million.
Williams took this issue to Capitol Hill and to the U.S. government, where she gave a speech in 2019 in which she reminded officials and the public of the scandal she was exposed to, and that “equal pay between actresses and actors is an inalienable obligation.” RIGHT.”
Actress Michelle Williams speaking at the US Capitol in 2019 (AP)
Like her colleague Williams, actress Patricia Arquette took her cause to Capitol Hill and the Oscars. But even following raising her voice, she had to apologize for several positions due to the low salary she was offered compared to her male colleagues.
The accounts of injustice don’t stop with Williams and Arquette. Actress Jessica Chastain revealed in press interviews that she received $7 million for her role in the 2015 film “The Martian,” while her co-star Matt Damon received $25 million.
American actors Jessica Chastain and Matt Damon at the opening of the film “The Martian” (Reuters)
The list of actresses who faced material discrimination includes Gillian Anderson in the series “The X-Files” and Robin Wright in “House of Cards.” Wright was forced to threaten to speak out to the media if her salary was not corrected and made equal to that of her colleague Kevin Spacey.
As for Natalie Portman, she announced in 2017 that her co-star in the film “No Strings Attached”, actor Ashton Kutcher, was receiving a salary three times what she was receiving. Actresses include Charlize Theron, Sienna Miller, Priyanka Chopra, Emma Stone and others.
Actors David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, stars of the series “The XFiles” (Instagram)
To justify the difference
When producers try to justify the pay gap between male and female actors, three basic reasons are given. First, the type of film; Action films are the most popular, and their heroes are often men, which reflects an increase in their salaries.
Second, years of experience play a fundamental role in determining salaries. Third, fame and diffusion.
As for the hidden reasons, it seems that women are less strict and less demanding than men when it comes to salary negotiations, so they settle for less.
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