Hollywood Breakdown
Speaking up about salary, in the name of pay parity
In the next phase of the #MeToo movement, women in Hollywood are starting to break the taboo of talking about money. Writers and actresses have begun sharing their salaries as a way of demanding equal pay from studios.
By Matthew Belloni • • 3m ListenWomen have long been paid less than their male counterparts, and things are even worse for women of color. At a panel at Sundance, Octavia Spencer told a story about how Jessica Chastain asked her to be in a movie, and Spencer told her how much she normally gets paid. Chastain said she'd get Spencer paid more, and she did--5 times Spencer's normal salary. On the TV side, 'Grey's Anatomy' star Ellen Pompeo recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about her battle to get paid what she thinks she deserves for her many years on the show. And among TV writers, a Google document has been circulating where women writers can anonymously share how much they get paid to work on certain shows.
