Despite claims of gender equality in the movie business, sexism still exists in Hollywood and big name actors and actresses know it too.
Jennifer Lawrence, the world’s highest-paid actress for the period from June 2014 to June 2015 according to Forbes magazine, believes that female actors should learn to fight for equal pay with fellow male actors without being branded as difficult or spoiled.
“The Hunger Games” actress actually made the revelation through an essay that she wrote and posted on Lena Dunham’s site where she dwelt on her anger at getting paid less than her male co-stars in one past movie.
Lawrence was referring to “American Hustle,” where she got paid less than her fellow co-star Bradley Cooper, among others. Apparently, the actress got wind or the leaked e-mails from Sony late last year and found out that Sony boss Amy Pascal revealed that she and Amy Adams were paid much less than their other male co-stars in the 2014 movie.
She said that she did not get mad at Sony nor was she made at her fellow male actors. She said that she is mad at herself for failing as a negotiator and not being able to make more money for herself, details BBC.
Wanting to be liked
Jennifer Lawrence said that she is now trying to find an adorable way of stating her opinion while remaining likable when dealing or negotiating salaries or wages with Hollywood producers.
The “X-Men: Days of the Future Past” star says that she would be lying if she did not say there was an element of wanting to be liked that influenced her decision to close the negotiation and agree to the deal without a real fight, notes The Guardian.
She says that she does not simply want to be branded as difficult or spoiled just like what Angelina Jolie was called upon when she negotiated for a higher salary from Sony, a communication that also leaked last year.
Lawrence said that producers do not do or say that to Hollywood actors if they see negotiations are not going on their favor. She said that if male actors negotiate for higher pay, they are called expressing or speaking their opinions but when women do it, they are called mean or offensive, which she believes is not really fair.
Meryl Streep confirms sexism in Hollywood
Veteran Hollywood actress Meryl Streep confirm that there exist sexism in the film industry, saying that she also receives less pay compared to her male co-stars in her latest film.
Streep, made the revelation, during an interview ahead of the London premiere of her upcoming film “Suffragette” which is about the militant campaign in support of women’s voting rights in the UK.
“Suffragette” kicked off the London Film Festival which also came with a global symposium on gender in the media that featured Oscar-winning actress Geena Davis. Davis spoke and called for more women on screen and more challenging female roles both in TV and film.
She said that women are unwittingly training generation after generation to see men and women as unequal. She added that in the 21st century, they should be showing kids that boys and girls should be sharing the sandbox equally.
Meanwhile, with a little over a month before the release of her film “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2,” Jennifer Lawrence is already getting excited on her final movie as lead protagonist Katniss Everdeen.
In the movie poster first released in July, J-Law is seen wearing a crimson suit from top to bottom, which was also the same as the colors of the arrows on her back, while primly sitting on a tall white chair that seems to represent the throne most likely.
From the appearance of the poster, it actually seems like Katniss Everdeen is not the rebel she is portraying in the film but actually looked more like a superhero in the shades of Hawkeye or the Arrow.