The age-old debate on the actors’ pay gap is far from ending as several Hollywood stars have seen to be vocal about it. MCU star Zoë Saldaña has put her words into the same movement against the pay gap based on gender and ethnicity.
Saldaña is perhaps one of the biggest names in the industry as she has been in some of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Be it Avatar, Avengers: Endgame, or Avatar: The Way of Water, Saldaña enjoyed the fame of being among the highest-grossing female actors of all time. But that didn’t stop the actor from voicing against the disturbing pay gaps.
Zoe Saldaña on Pay Gap in Hollywood
Zoe Saldaña acquired the biggest key to success over the years, especially after starring in James Cameron’s ambitious and era-defining 2009 sci-fi Avatar. The first movie of Cameron’s giant franchise has shattered all box office records grossing over $2.5 billion. Saldaña then joined the MCU as one of the vital members of Guardians of the Galaxy and appeared in several highest-grossing movies including the James Gunn franchise. Despite her biggest success in the industry, Saldaña has seen the preferential salary system and that has upset the actor. The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl actor took to Instagram in 2018 to celebrate Latina Equal Pay Day.
“The gap is widest for Latina workers, who on average only get 53 cents for every $1 a man is paid. The gap has widened since last year, and for some, it’s even worse. This is an injustice, and there’s still so much work to do for Latinas to be treated equally. I am #PhenomenallyLatina, and I support Latina equal pay!” she wrote on the platform.
Of course, Saldaña has starred in multiple blockbusters and upcoming Avatar movies potentially have her name on the priority list but the actor has never received the status of the highest-paid actor. Also, many fans feel her prowess as an actor is often underappreciated.
Zoe Saldaña Once Called Out Female Audience to Stop Funding Male-Dominated Movies
Saldaña’s outrage against the unjust gender-based pay gap has not recently developed. The Star Trek Beyond actor has been quite vocal about it for quite a while now. Saldaña once called out the female moviegoers not to fund male-dominated movies to tackle the dominance of the practice of Hollywood sexism. “The high road is no longer silent,” Saldaña told The EDIT in an interview. “The high road is speaking up and saying, ‘You’re a d*ck!’ What you are doing is unfair,” she added.
“I’m not asking you to idolise me, I’m asking you to pay me equally, because you always come to me whenever you need me for a press tour! The audience have the power. They are the ones buying tickets to all these man-made movies. There are films being made by female directors, by female writers, with lead female roles, but women are not going to those movies. We’re going with our boyfriends to hold their f*cking hands to go see a movie that we couldn’t care less about! As women in positions of power, we have to use it to help other women. I couldn’t care less about male-driven stories and war movies not because I’m not an intellectual individual, but because I want to know what’s happening to a woman.”
Despite the big roles in giant commercial movies, the actor has not seen the days of satisfaction in terms of payday. Even today, the huge pay gap in the industry prevails and many actors are still fighting for the right to an equal paycheck.
Source: Cinemablend.
