Transformers star Mark Wahlberg bagged the title of the highest-paid actor in 2017, while Emma Stone, who won an Oscar for her La La Land role in the same year, took home a meager amount, as compared to her male counterpart.
Wahlberg made $68 million from his roles in Transformers: The Last Knight and Daddy’s Home 2. Stone, who topped the list of highest-paid female celebrities, earned $26 million. In fact, only three actresses made more than $20 million that year as compared to 16 actors who surpassed the amount.
Emma Stone Addresses Hollywood’s Gender Pay Gap
In her interview with OUT Magazine, The Amazing Spider-Man star Emma Stone revealed that the gender pay gap in Hollywood is still a controversial topic that seems to never make any progress. In fact, her male colleagues agreed to reduce their pay so she can “have parity with them.” Stone told the magazine:
“In my career so far, I’ve needed my male co-stars to take a pay cut so that I may have parity with them. They do it for me because they feel it’s what’s right and what’s fair. If my male co-star, who has a higher quote than me but believes we are equal, takes a pay cut so that I can match him, that changes my quote in the future and changes my life.”
The fight is still on, and Stone believes that equality also means giving the same treatment to all genders:
“It’s not about, ‘Women are this and men are that.’ It is, ‘We are all the same, we are all equal, we all deserve the same respect and the same rights.’”
The 34-year-old star admitted the struggle of actors since their pay depends on the role and how the movie performs at the box office:
“It’s a difficult system because it depends on the kinds of films you’re a part of, the size of your role, how much the movies make at the box office. And so much of that changes your pay throughout your career, so I go more to the blanket issue that women, in general, are making four-fifths at best.”
Film critics praised La La Land for its heartfelt plot and catchy songs. It also gave Stone her Best Actress Oscar in 2017. The musical romance drama, which garnered $449 million worldwide, proved the lead star’s versatility in acting, singing, and dancing.
In the same year, Mark Wahlberg’s Transformers: The Last Knight grossed over $605 million. While the action movie became a smash hit among audiences, it was critically panned for its redundant storyline and lackluster characters.
The Reason Women Land Smaller Roles And Earn Lesser Pay
As mentioned by Emma Stone, pay disparity usually depends on the types of roles. Forbes writer Natalie Robehmed explained:
“In release schedules dominated by superhero movies and brawny blockbusters, there are simply fewer parts for women that pay the sizeable backend profits that result in leading men’s large paydays, or the franchise sequels that permit aggressive negotiation for favorable deals.”
A 2016 study reveals that women only comprise 28.7% of speaking roles in movies, and only a quarter of roles for characters were given to women aged 40 and above.
“Until there are an equal number of high-paying roles, there will continue to be an inequality in the paychecks of Tinseltown’s very richest.”
The gender pay gap has a lot more factors than just roles on the screens. The viewers also play a significant part in the appreciation and patronization of women-led films, regardless of the genre. Still, Hollywood needs to catch up with the times and abolish discrimination when it comes to actors’ wages.
La La Land is available on Netflix.
Sources: OUT Magazine, Forbes
