Women do get paid less than men. A long-standing fact, no matter what industry. A fact that is even more evident when it comes to Hollywood. For countless years, actresses have raised their voices and expressed their disappointment over the huge gender pay gap in the film industry. This time it was Natalie Portman who came forward to address the grave issue.
The Oscar-winning actress has been tremendous across genres, but this didn’t save her from being a victim of the gender pay gap in Hollywood. While speaking up about the issue in the industry she explained how her co-actor for the film No Strings Attached was paid over three times more than her.
Natalie Portman Opens Up About Gender Pay Gap
The alluring actress has had multiple awards to her name, along with an Oscar for her movie Black Swan. However, despite her talent and acclamation as an established actress, she, like many others, had to suffer the brunt of the severe gender pay gap in Hollywood. Speaking up about the movie No Strings Attached, Natalie Portman revealed how her co-star Ashton Kutcher earned thrice as much as she.
“I knew and I went along with it because there’s this thing with ‘quotes’ in Hollywood. His [quote] was three times higher than mine, so they said he should get three times more. I wasn’t as pissed as I should have been. I mean, we get paid a lot, so it’s hard to complain, but the disparity is crazy.”
She explained how severe the disparity in payment was compared to other professions. While most women in other prominent professions make up to 80 cents in comparison to 1 dollar of their male counterparts, in Hollywood the pay gap reduced to women earning 30 cents against 1 dollar.
Natalie Portman’s Sentiments are Shared by Many Other Stars
The Marvel Actress’s revelation of the severe gender pay gap in the industry is not an isolated incident, but a continuation of the numerous revelations of female actresses who have faced similar issues. Her statement builds upon the many experiences of her co-stars who have been forced to accept lesser pay for their roles and contributions in Hollywood.
Like Natalie Portman, several actresses have come forward to address the issue. Jennifer Lawrence also spoke up about not being paid equally as her male co-stars for her role in American Hustle. While it is true that actors are amongst the highest-paid professionals, high payment or not all actresses do deserve to be paid equally if not more than their male counterparts.
You can stream No Strings Attached on Netflix.
Source: The Guardian
