Hollywood’s gender pay gap has been a hot-button topic since late 2014 when Sony was hacked and salaries of some leading actors and actresses were leaked. (Unsurprisingly, the men were paid considerably more.) This week, Kristen Stewart shared her two cents on the issue in an interview with Variety. She started out strong but seemed to backpedal at the end.
“Like in any business that’s so old, it’s going to have a somewhat narrow view,” Stewart said. “It’s hard for me to speak to that, because, it’s awkward. I’m so f*cking lucky and so stimulated and driven, like not bored, and I have something in front of me all the time. It sounds weird for me to sit around and be like, ‘It’s not fair!’ Guys make more money because their movies make more money. Let’s start making more movies. It makes sense.”
Of course, it’s the box-office point that sticks out—and feels distinctly different from the one made by Jennifer Lawrence’s recent essay for Lenny. (You’ll recall the actress said the reason she wasn’t paid as much as her male counterparts was because she didn’t fight for extra money, for fear of being viewed as “difficult” or “spoiled.”) Obviously, it’s important that this conversation continues so women in Hollywood—and everywhere for that matter—feel empowered and unapologetic when it comes to cashing in for their hard work.
