It's no secret that equal pay has long been an issue in our country, let alone Hollywood. The gender wage gap is made even more evident through the accounts of actresses who continue to take home marginal paychecks compared to their male co-stars (see: Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams earning much less than Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale for their roles in American Hustle). And in the latest disappointment for the film industry, we recently learned that Gal Gadot, who plays the titular character in Patty Jenkins' record-breaking movie Wonder Woman, received an astoundingly low salary that we think is anything but wonderful.
Despite the film raking in around $581 million worldwide so far, Gal made only $300,000 for her historic performance. (The actress signed a three-movie deal that pays her the same figure for each of her DC Films appearances: Batman v Superman, Wonder Woman and the upcoming Justice League.) While that may be a considerable amount of wealth for most of us, put that number against the $14 million Henry Cavill reportedly collected for Man of Steel, and it doesn't sound so fair anymore, does it? Yes, we understand that hers is just a base salary, and it's likely Gal will earn more should the franchise take off—and we expect it will—like Marvel's The Avengers (it's worth noting that Chris Evans also took home $300,000 for his Captain America debut). Still, with Wonder Woman's whopping earnings and rave reviews, we anticipated a better payday for its star. However, we surmise that her team will renegotiate her contract for the following films. Forget thousands; here's to Gal's future millions—and a seat at the table with Hollywood's most respected superheroes.
