Stars who took a bold stand for equal pay in Hollywood

The gender wage gap has been a major issue in the world and has affected Hollywood as well.

Many stars have spoken out about earning less than their male counterparts and the unfair wage inequality.They have in fact also stood up for themselves and used their voices and demanded for change and equal pay.

Here are some stars who stood up for themselves:

 

Dakota Fanning

Back in 2016, Dakota Fanning opened up about her experience with the wage gap in the industry while talking to Elle Canada.

During the interview, The Perfect Couple actress expressed her frustrations, saying, "It’s frustrating that you still have to talk about it."

Continuing, "As part of my school, I’ve studied lots of different periods, and if you go back to, like, 'The Taming of the Shrew', it’s talking about the disparity between genders, and it’s crazy that we still haven’t cracked that."

When asked if she has experienced it as a part of her working life, the 31-year-old star quipped, "Definitely."

"I remember realizing that being a girl meant a different thing than being a boy, and I wasn’t raised like that. I don’t believe in that!"

Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard

Many fans would be surprised to know that upon learning that his Jurassic World co-star Bryce Dallas Howard was paid less than him, Chris Pratt had advocated for her and ensured she got to earn equal pay in in additional franchise opportunities.

Speaking to Business Insider, Bryce came forward and revealed that she was "so much less" than the 46-year-old actor.

"When I started negotiating for ‘Jurassic,’ it was 2014, and it was a different world, and I was at a great disadvantage," she shared. "And, unfortunately, you have to sign up for three movies, and so your deals are set."

The Help actress further shared that she had a long discussion with the Guardians of the Galaxy star regarding the issue and he quickly jumped into action and helped her secure equal terms for her in other franchise deals like games and theme park rides.

"He literally told me: ‘You guys don’t even have to do anything. I’m gonna do all the negotiating. We’re gonna be paid the same, and you don’t have to think about this, Bryce,’" Bryce added.

“And I love him so much for doing that. I really do, because I’ve been paid more for those kinds of things than I ever was for the movie.”

Jessica Chastain

Speaking to Variety, Jessica Chastain revealed she had in fact refused to take on a role back in 2017, due to unequal pay.

According to the Interstellar actress, the studios reportedly would sometimes use leftover funds from her paycheck to boost the male star’s salary.

"I remember afterwards I was like, 'What did I do? Maybe it was a mistake.' But it wasn't, because everyone in the studio system heard what I did," she remarked.

"So what you're doing is creating a reputation: Don't bring Jessica something where she's not being fairly compensated compared to the male actor."

Beyoncé

It may come as a shock to many fans, but the Queen Bee has also spoken about the wage inequality.

In her interview with GQ, in 2013, the Single Ladies hitmaker expressed that the gender wage gap is much more serious that what is portrayed.

"You know, equality is a myth," she said, "and for some reason, everyone accepts the fact that women don't make as much money as men do. I don't understand that. Why do we have to take a backseat?"

Continuing, "I truly believe that women should be financially independent from their men. And let’s face it, money gives men the power to run the show. It gives men the power to define value. They define what’s sexy. And men define what’s feminine. It’s ridiculous."

Emmy Rossum

In December 2016, Emmy made waves when she took a stand for herself and demanded equal pay for her remarkable work on the hit series Shameless.

Reports suggested that the 39-year-old actress not only pushed for equal pay with co-star William H. Macy, but also asked for a bigger raise to balance out past pay disparities.

But she wasn’t alone in this fight as her co-star William seemed to have her back and supported her stance.

A source came forward and spoke to Variety about the situation, explaining that both the network and studio take the matter of the pay gap very seriously but claimed the parity offer had long been offered but was not accepted by Emmy’s team.

After some time, the actress was able to close a deal and decided to return to the series for the next season.

Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain

Jessica not only stood up for herself but also stepped up for Octavia Spencer and helped her secure a higher pay after the 55-year-old actress had opened up about her experiences as a woman of colour.

Octavia recalled that when she had revealed her actual salary to the It Chapter Two actress, she had fallen silent before admitting how unaware she was of the disparities women of colour have to face.

Jessica wasted no time and quickly took action by renegotiating both their salaries for the movie they were starring in together, and ensured they both got higher pay.

During a Sundance Film Festival panel called "Women Breaking Barriers" in 2018, Octavia reflected on the moment and shared, "I love that woman, because she's walking the walk and she's actually talking the talk."

Continuing, "She said, 'Octavia, we're gonna get you paid on this film. You and I are gonna be tied together. We're gonna be favored by nations, and we're gonna do the same thing.' Fast forward to last week, we're making five times what we asked for."