Olivia Colman’s Take on the Pay Disparity Is Rewriting Hollywood’s Biggest & Most Unfair Truths
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While we know that our favorite actors might make more in one movie than many of us even dream of, Hollywood is still plagued with the effects of sexism and misogyny. In fact, the issues in the industry have existed since the very beginning and are seen in pay disparities to this day.
Most recently, The Favourite star Olivia Colman opened up about pay disparity and played her part in righting a major wrong. “Don’t get me started on the pay disparity, but male actors get paid more because they used to say they drew in the audiences,” the Oscar winner said in a recent appearance on The Amanpour Hour, per Us Weekly. “And actually, that hasn’t been true for decades but they still like to use that as a reason to not pay women as much as their male counterparts.”
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With Barbie being last year’s biggest box office hit, Colman’s point is more timely than ever. “Research suggests that [women] were always big box office draws,” she added.
But, with these backward beliefs still pervasive in the industry, Colman sees a noticeable difference. “I’m very aware that if I was Oliver Colman, I’d be earning a f– of a lot more than I am,” The Crown star added.
Colman then went on to detail one pay disparity she did become aware of, and the difference was baffling. “I know of one pay disparity, which is a 12,000 percent difference,” she remembered.
Colman’s important reflection on Hollywood’s pay disparity comes shortly after The Color Purple‘s Taraji P. Henson opened up about similar struggles.
“I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do [and] getting paid a fraction of the cost,” Henson said in a SiriusXM interview with Gayle King, per Variety. “I’m tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. You get tired. I hear people go, ‘You work a lot.’ Well, I have to.”
And while these two trailblazers might not entirely fix the industry, we applaud them for speaking up and doing their part in making the industry a safer and more just place. Here’s hoping Hollywood execs are listening!
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