Not just The Crown actor Claire Foy, here are other female actors who were paid less than their male co-stars

While recent movements in Hollywood have addressed issues of sexual harassment and discrimination against minorities, the gender pay gap is one that still needs to be tackled. Recently, Claire Foy, who played Queen Elizabeth II for two seasons in The Crown, was in the news for earning far less than her male co-star Matt Smith. This was despite her having far more screen time than him. The news created an uproar among fans who started a petition urging the actor to donate the extra money he received to the Time’s Up movement. While producers of the show initially dismissed the wage gap as one not of gender, but based on the actors’ popularity (with Matt being known for Doctor Who), they have since apologised to the stars. Executive producer Suzanne Mackie said, “We at Left Bank Pictures are responsible for budgets and salaries; the actors are not aware of who gets what, and cannot be held personally responsible for the pay of their colleagues. We understand and appreciate the conversation which is rightly being played out across society and we are absolutely united with the fight for fair pay...” Here are some others who faced a similar situation.

MICHELLE WILLIAMS AND MARK WAHLBERG

The film All The Money In The World may have earned Michelle Williams a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress, but despite being the lead, she earned far less than supporting actor Mark Wahlberg. He earned $1.5 million for barely 10 days of work of reshoots (when actor Kevin Spacey had to be replaced with Christopher Plummer in the film). Williams, meanwhile, took home barely one per cent of his salary (less than $1000). Post the outcry over the wage disparity, Mark donated his fee from the reshoots to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund. His agency, William Morris Endeavor, also donated another $500,000, towards the cause.

JENNIFER LAWRENCE, AMY ADAMS AND BRADLEY COOPER

Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams may have both had significant roles in the 2013 hit American Hustle, but the ladies didn’t receive equal compensation to their male co-stars Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale and Jeremy Renner. In a Sony email leak, it was disclosed — they were paid seven per cent of the profits, as opposed to the nine per cent their male co-stars and director David O Russell earned. Jennifer explained in an open letter, “When the Sony hack happened and I found out how much less I was being paid than the lucky people with d*cks, I didn’t get mad at Sony. I got mad at myself. I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early.” Amy said in a magazine interview, “I knew I was being paid less and I still agreed to do it because the option comes down to do it or don’t do it. So you just have to decide if it’s worth it for you. It doesn’t mean I liked it.”

NATALIE PORTMAN AND ASHTON KUTCHER

Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher played the lead pair in the 2011 romcom No Strings Attached. However, the latter was paid three times as much as the former. Natalie later spoke up about the disparity in an interview explaining that Ashton’s quote (determining an actor’s salary based on his or her previous salaries) was three times higher than hers which is why they felt he should be paid more. She said, “Compared to men, in most professions, women make 80 cents to the dollar. In Hollywood, we are making 30 cents to the dollar.” Ashton tweeted in support, saying, “So proud of Natalie and all women who stand up for closing the gender pay gap!”

ELLEN POMPEO AND PATRICK DEMPSEY

Ellen Pompeo, who’s played Dr Meredith Grey on Grey’s Anatomy since its inception had to also fight for equal pay. She told The Hollywood Reporter that in 2015 she asked for $5,000 more per episode than her co-star Patrick Dempsey but the network turned her down. She persisted and is now reportedly getting $20 million for seasons 15 and 16 of the medical drama. Ellen said, “I’m 48 now, so I’ve finally gotten to the place where I’m OK asking for what I deserve, which is something that comes only with age. Because I’m not the most ‘relevant’ actress out there. I know that’s the industry perception because I’ve been this character for 14 years. But the truth is, anybody can be good on a show season one and two. Can you be good 14 years later? Now, that’s a f**kin’ skill.”

EMMY ROSSUM AND WILLIAM H MACY

The lead actress of the highly successful TV show Shameless, Emmy Rossum was being paid less than male lead William H Macy. In 2016, she refused to sign on for the eighth season of the show until she was given her due compensation. Emmy said, “For the first few seasons, the difference made a lot of sense. And then, as the time went on, the leadership role started to feel somewhat shared. I suppose I just felt that I love the show I love everyone in it, I wanted to keep doing it, but I just wanted it to feel right.”

CHARLIZE THERON AND CHRIS HEMSWORTH

Back in 2015, Charlize Theron spoke about earning far less than her The Huntsman: Winter’s War co-star Chris Hemsworth. She insisted that she be paid the same as him and eventually got a deal worth more than $10 million. She added, “I am in a position where I could put my foot down and say, I want equal pay to my male co-star, who I had billed another movie with... We were doing a sequel, we had done it together, why not? What was interesting about it was I had a studio that said all right. And I was like, ‘oh? We just need to say this? We just need to not be so polite about it and say what we want.”

TARAJI P HENSON AND BRAD PITT

While working on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Taraji P Henson said she received compensation worth “the equivalent of sofa change” compared to co-star Brad Pitt. In her memoir, Around the Way, she wrote, “Both Brad and Cate (Blanchett) got millions. Me? With bated breath, I sat by the phone for hours, waiting for Vince (her manager) to call and tell me the number that I thought would make me feel good... Alas, that request was dead on arrival. ‘I’m sorry, Taraji,’ Vince said quietly when we finally connected. ‘They came in at the lowest of six figures. I convinced them to add in a little more, but that’s as high as they’d go.’”