Michelle Williams has responded to the astronomical gender pay gap with her All the Money in the World co-star Mark Wahlberg.
News broke in January of the discrepancy in which Williams was paid less than $1,000 for reshoots of the Ridley Scott film while Wahlberg got $1.5 million. The reshoots followed sexual assault allegations levelled at Kevin Spacey – the film’s original lead – who was later replaced by Christopher Plummer.
Speaking in Washington DC on April 2 during a hearing about closing the gender pay gap, Williams said she had been “paralysed in feelings of futility” upon learning about the disparity.
“Guess what, no one cared,” she said, as reported by The Guardian. “This came as no surprise to me, it simply reinforced my life-learned belief that equality is not an inalienable right and that women would always be working just as hard for less money while shouldering more responsibility at home.
“I’ve been a working actress since the age of 12. I’ve been accredited by my industry at the highest levels and that still didn’t translate to equal compensation.”
Interstellar actress Jessica Chastain tweeted about the news last year, which focused more attention on the issue.
I heard for the reshoot she got $80 a day compared to his MILLIONS. Would anyone like to clarify? I really hope that with everything coming to light, she was paid fairly. She's a brilliant actress and is wonderful in the film. https://t.co/VzGA2ucAjV
— Jessica Chastain (@jes_chastain) January 9, 2018
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“Jessica’s audience was much wider than mine,” explained Williams, who is not on social media. “She wasn’t afraid to pick up a megaphone and be heard.
“Heard she was, there was an uproar and a public shaming within my industry that resulted in a $2m donation to the Time’s Up Defence Fund.”
News emerged last year that Wahlberg donated his salary. The agency William Morris Endeavours, which represents both Williams and Wahlberg, gave away a further $500,000. It is not known if Williams received any additional salary.