Pay discrimination in Hollywood has been a major issue in the entertainment industry since time immemorial. Long before Jennifer Lawrence's "Why Do I Make Less Than My Male Co-Stars" essay came out on Lenny Letter and Patricia Arquette's brave and passionate Oscar acceptance speech, the anecdotal evidence against Hollywood wage gap goes back decades.
A biography about Barbara Stanwyck disclosed conflict with studios over pay in the 1930s. The Sting and Taxi Driver producer Julia Philips also shared the same experience as accounted in her 1991 memoir "You'll Never Eat in This Town Again." Today, these grievances continue to spill out and a procession of high-profile actresses have spoken out.
Emma Stone's Struggle & Survival
In a recent interview with Out Magazine, Emma Stone revealed that a number of her male co-stars took pay cuts so she could receive Equal Pay. Without dropping any names, she reiterated that each one had done it by choice and felt that it was the "right and fair" thing to do.
The actress further shared that so far in her career, her male co-stars have had to deal with and accept this scenario so she could have parity with them. Fortunately, her co-actors acknowledge the unfairness and want to make a difference in their own way. Emma also stressed her opinion on how such disparity does not attract the discussion it deserves.
The actress is very grateful for her male co-stars with whom she shared similar-size roles in films.
Not only did they support the move for pay equality, but also changed her life and the trajectory of her quote in the future. In addition, the actress' views on equality do not draw a line between men and women. For her, everyone is all the same and equal, which means everyone is entitled to the same respect and rights.
Not The Only One
When "Empire" matriarch Taraji Henson had her breakout role in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," her career skyrocketed to success. What many people do not know is that she was not compensated well for that movie. She even referred to her pay as "couch change." Even worse, she was expected to shoulder her hotel accommodation during filming.
In more recent news, Hawaii Five-O stars Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park were also reported to be leaving the show due to issues over pay inequality. Despite being household names for the last seven seasons, CBS refused to make their pay equivalent to their co-stars Scott Caan and Alex O'Loughlin. Not surprisingly, many of their fans were quick to judge that this is a typical racial stereotype in Hollywood. More than anything, this case goes to show that the discrimination in pay could also transcend gender.
Although many industry players and observers affirm the publicity about pay inequality, it is believed that progress will most likely be "slow, uneven, and invisible." However, there is that hope and comfort in knowing that there are actors willing to make adjustments to make the Hollywood industry more fair to everyone.
