Being a Hollywood actor or actress often means folding impressive amounts of money, but when male stars are constantly cashing in more, it can really disrupt the workflow and alert their female colleagues. The film industry is just another field in which women fall under the gender pay gap, and a few actresses have stood up in the past pointing out the injustice when it comes to receiving equal pay. Actresses and their supporters have become so outraged that many of them have decided to fight back and make a point. Displeased with the fact that women are working as hard as men for significantly lesser pay while having even more responsibilities on their plate outside of usual workspaces, ladies are slowly but surely starting to raise their voices and try to get heard.
The stories below illustrate how sometimes, it’s just a man’s world, and that the recent International Women’s Day could be more of manifestation rather than a celebration as it is most likely to still be a tough journey to equality and fairness. Let us know your thoughts and hopes in the comments.
#1 Gillian Anderson Got Offered Only Half Of David Duchovny’s Pay For The New X-Files
It already took Gillian Anderson three seasons to bump up her salary to what David Duchovny was getting paid for the original X-Files. Due to that, she initially ended up denying the first offer of the new X-Files. At the moment, she is getting the same as her male co-star, but then again, it was only thanks to persistent negotiations.
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89points
#2 Angelina Jolie Made Half What Brad Pitt Did For Mr. And Mrs. Smith
As the much-talked-about Hollywood couple were acquainted in the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith, it also drew attention to the pay inequality. Pitt, playing the husband of Jolie in the film, made $20 million, whereas Jolie walked away with half of that.
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78points
#3 Ellen Pompeo In Grey’s Anatomy Was Denied Higher Pay Than Patrick Dempsey
At some point, being the highest-paid television actress, Ellen Pompeo aka Meredith Grey tried to request to get slightly more than Patrick Dempsey and got the cold shoulder. Although she was the star of the show, when it came to salary, it turned out completely different.
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68points
#4 Charlize Theron Made $10 Million Less Than Chris Hemsworth In The Huntsman
Another female actress got her eyes opened through the Sony hack scandal. Turned out that Charlize Theron was making $10 million less than her male counterpart, Chris Hemsworth, in The Huntsman: Winter’s War. This made her demand for a pay raise for the prequel Snow White and The Huntsman.
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64points
#5 Natalie Portman Got Paid Three Times Less Than Ashton Kutcher
Natalie Portman, who starred along Ashton Kutcher in No Strings Attached, revealed that he was paid three times more for the movie. Like Jennifer Lawrence after the controversy over the gender pay inequality in American Hustle, she regretted not speaking out enough.
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63points
#6 Jennifer Lawrence And Amy Adams Received 7% Of The Profits From American Hustle When Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, And Jeremy Renner Got 9%
The famous Sony hack revealed that the pay among the male and female stars of American Hustle was not the fairest. After finding that out, Jennifer Lawrence, who was paid less than Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, and Jeremy Renner, expressed her regret over not negotiating it more fiercely.
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55points
#7 Meryl Streep Has Earned Less Than Male Actors Throughout Her Career
Even being one of the most legendary Hollywood actresses, Meryl Streep, famously stating that “Women’s issues are men’s issues,” spoke about sexism in the film industry and revealed that she has been underpaid throughout her career.
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53points
#8 Michelle Williams Received Less Than 1% Compared To What Mark Wahlberg Did In All The Money In The World
Ironically, in the movie called All the Money in the World, Michelle Williams received less than 1% of what her co-star Mark Wahlberg pocketed. In response to a controversy that sparked a year later after the release of the film, Wahlberg donated his $1.5 million ‘over-payment’ to Time’s Up legal defence fund, all under Williams’s name. Williams, on her behalf, released a statement thanking all the men and women involved in speaking out about sexual harassment in Hollywood’s film industry.
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50points
#9 Kathy Griffin Had The Second-Lowest Salary In The Cast Of Suddenly Susan
Although Kathy Griffin started as an unknown actress, during her third season in Suddenly Susan, she found out that not only was she the second-lowest-paid member of the cast, but also that Judd Nelson made four times what she made.
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50points
#10 Amanda Seyfried Received 10% Less Than What Her Fellow Male Actor Got
Amanda Seyfried disclosed that even though she and a male co-star’s statuses were even, the pay wasn’t. In one of her interviews, she admitted finding out that her male co-star received as much as 10% more than what she did in one of their big-budget features. “It’s not about how much you get, it’s about how fair it is,” Amanda shared.
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45points
#11 Diane Keaton Ended Up Not Receiving A Big Part Of The Pay For Something’s Gotta Give
Something’s Gotta Give definitely gave Jack Nicholson a full fat paycheck rather than adequately rewarding his female co-star Diane Keaton. Allegedly, Nicholson shared the pay back with his co-star to make it even.
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41points
#12 Robin Wright Had To Negotiate Her Pay In House Of Cards When Kevin Spacey Was One Of The Highest-Paid Actors On TV
Robin Wright, winner of a Golden Globe, had to negotiate the salary for her House of Cards role of Claire Underwood. Kevin Spacey, playing the husband in this popular Netflix series, was raking in $500,000 per episode. Wright stated that she would discuss the injustice publicly unless her conditions changed. And they did.
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34points
#13 Hilary Swank’s Male Co-Stars Got 10 Times More Than Her For The Same Job
Hilary Swank pointed out that no matter how much Hollywood loves its women, it still loves men more when it comes to paying for the job. The actress with two Academy Awards in her lap couldn’t highlight enough that it’s not even a matter of men getting paid double—it’s a matter of getting paid 10 times more than women.
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34points
#14 Sienna Miller Would Have Gotten Half Of What Another Actor Was Going To Make
Sienna Miller walked away from a two-person play and made a point as the male co-actor was offered twice as much as her. “We are going to have to make sacrifices to make change. I want to turn up and feel dignified.”
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32points
#15 Rooney Mara Made Half Of What Male Actors Ended Up Making In Several Movies
“I’ve been in films where I’ve found out my male co-star got paid double what I got paid, and it’s just a reality of the time that we live in,” admitted Rooney Mara. The actress expressed her disappointment in the gender pay gap as she has been underpaid a few times. The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo actress also stated that she is grateful for getting paid for what she does, but finding out about her male co-stars receiving larger sums is still frustrating.
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31points
#16 Amy Adams Got Much Less Compared To Male Actors In American Hustle
Although Amy Adams realized she was making much less than Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, and Jeremy Renner in American Hustle, she still decided to stick with the role. She explained that not all negotiations are done by the actresses and actors themselves, but often by their agents. According to her, it came down to the decision of whether it was worth it to take on the role or not.
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28points
#17 Catt Sadler Was Getting Two Times Less Than Her Co-Host Jason Kennedy
E! News reporter Catt Sadler ended up leaving her position due to the fact that her co-host Jason Kennedy was earning twice as much. She attempted to get a raise, but unsuccessfully, and revealed the disappointment on her blog: “How can I remain silent when my rights under the law have been violated?”
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28points
#18 Jessica Chastain Only Made A Quarter Of What Her Reported Salary For The Martian Was
Jessica Chastain earned $1.75 million for The Martian when her co-star Matt Damon reportedly made anything from $15 to $25 million. “I made less than a quarter of that in reality, so there is a huge wage gap in the industry," Chastain said.
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19points