How would you feel if you found out your colleague was paid 1500 times more than you for doing exactly the same job? Chances are you wouldn't have twice as many reasons to celebrate. That's the situation actress Michelle Williams found herself in. Fortunately, the issue is already being taken care of by SAG-AFTRA, who are currently looking at the circumstances of this jaw-dropping pay disparity.
A prime example of pay inequality in the movie industry
It all started when Kevin Spacey's allegations of sexual misconduct last November got in the way of a smooth process of filming "All The Money In The World," where Spacey portrayed J.
Paul Getty. Being aware that it was going to infect his film, director Ridley Scott replaced Spacey by Christopher Plummer and re-shot 22 scenes in less than nine days, just weeks before the film's release date in December.
But what about the other co-stars' extra work? Did they get paid again or not? Scott told in an interview for the newspaper USA Today in December that "everyone did it for nothing. They all came in for free." This turned out to be untrue though.
USA Today reported Tuesday (Jan. 9) that actor Mark Wahlberg was paid $1.5 million to re-shoot scenes with Plummer after negotiating a special deal with a production company that fully financed the film - Imperative Entertainment, while Williams was paid the per diem minimum of $80 per day, totaling less than $1000 - and was not informed about Wahlberg's better backroom deal with Imperative Entertainment.
Even though Scott, Wahlberg, and Williams are all represented by William Morris Endeavour Entertainment, the talent agency somehow didn't ensure Williams was paid the same as her male co-star and thus didn't protect their client. Could it be that the actress's kindness became a target of abuse? Williams told USA Today in December: "I said I'd be wherever they needed me, whenever they needed me.
And they could have my salary, they could have my holiday. Because I appreciated so much that they were making this massive effort."
He got all the money in the world
As it is with all the recent gender pay gap revelations, even this case has sparked intense fury among female Hollywood celebrities. Jessica Chastain tweeted shortly after hearing the news, defending her fellow actress.
Please go see Michelle's performance in All The Money in The World. She's a brilliant Oscar nominated Golden Globe winning actress. She has been in the industry for 20 yrs. She deserves more than 1% of her male costar' s salary. https://t.co/HIniew6lf7
— Jessica Chastain (@jes_chastain) January 10, 2018
Patricia Arquette thinks talent agencies are also to blame. How come Wahlberg's agent was more adamant about securing a thick salary for his client than Williams's?
There needs to be new language voiding deals made unless all people participate in the favored nations structure
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) January 10, 2018
Casey Cipriani, a film writer at Bustle, tweeted frantically in caps lock.
REMINDER THAT MICHELLE WILLIAMS WAS NOMINATED FOR A GOLDEN GLOBE FOR HER PERFORMANCE IN ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD AND MARKY MARK WAS NOT AND YET HE GOT ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD TO BE THERE.
— Casey Cipriani (@CaseyCip) January 10, 2018
Perhaps the movie was a self-fulfilling prophecy for Wahlberg?