
Portman: In Hollywood, we are making 30 cents to the dollar
Natalie Portman has acknowledged the pay gap that exists among men and women, particularly in the entertainment industry. In fact, the actress says she was paid three times less than Ashton Kutcher in 2011’s No Strings Attached.
Despite the noticeable division in pay, Natalie finds it difficult to complain as even her lower paychecks are quite impressive.
She added to Marie Claire magazine: “Ashton Kutcher was paid three times as much as me on ‘No Strings Attached‘. I knew and I went along with it because there’s this thing with ‘quotes’ in Hollywood.
Your quote is the highest you’ve ever been paid. His was three times higher than mine so they said he should get three times more. I wasn’t as p***ed as I should have been. I mean, we get paid a lot, so it’s hard to complain, but the disparity is crazy.”
And the actress, who is currently expecting her second child with husband Benjamin Millepied, says this gap is much more prominent in Hollywood.
“Compared to men, in most professions, women make 80 cents to the dollar. In Hollywood, we are making 30 cents to the dollar.”
Natalie’s next project will explore Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. She feels grateful to be working with female director Mimi Leder and confessed this opportunity doesn’t happen often enough.
She shared: “I don’t think women and men are more or less capable [as directors], we just have a clear issue with women not having opportunities. We need to be part of the solution, not perpetuating the problem. As this story is specifically about gender discrimination, I was like, how dare we not hire a female.”
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