Last week, Jennifer Lawrence published an essay about how she’s ready to stop being “adorable” and “likable“ when it comes to pay disparity. She realized the ridiculousness of the situation after the Sony hack, which exposed how she and Amy Adams received worse back-end deals than their American Hustle male co-stars. There was no excuse for this slight. JLaw brought plenty of box-office clout, and Adams played a leading role, but execs felt that Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, and (gasp) Jeremy Renner were all worth more money than the ladies. I still take issue with Renner being paid more than the women. That’s inexcusable. We could make a case for Bale, but Renner? Come on.
When JLaw’s essay broke, Oprah praised our intrepid heroine, and BCoop gave a little nod. He had yet to read the essay, but he did not doubt Jennifer’s convictions. She is rarely serious but steps up when it really matters. Bradley also witnessed how his American Sniper and Burnt co-star, Sienna Miller, stepped away from a Broadway play after learning her male co-star would be paid twice as much. Bradley finally read JLaw’s words, and he promises to help negotiate for his future female co-stars. He does a little mansplaining, but his beige-booty-shorts heart is in the right place:
Adams “should have been paid more than everybody” for her work on the film, Cooper added, saying he hoped Lawrence’s essay would “allow people like Amy to also speak up.”
In his own bid to address the pay gap, Cooper said he has begun teaming up with female co-stars to negotiate salaries before any film he is interested in working on goes into production.
“I don’t know where it’s changing otherwise but that’s something that I could do,” Cooper said.
“Usually you don’t talk about the financial stuff, you have people. But you know what? It’s time to start doing that,” he added.
[From Reuters]
Here’s the obligatory, knee-jerk response to Bradley’s words — it’s sad that it takes a man to make Hollywood take this issue seriously. Yet it is a true statement, and this is a mind-boggling phenomenon. The dudes are still somehow considered superior than the women in most industries. That’s a simple, godforsaken fact, but we must work with those who are willing to be our allies, and why not? BCoop didn’t have to stick his neck out for the ladies, especially since the issue has been met with radio silence from American Hustle co-stars Christian Bale and Jeremy Renner. Good on BCoop. He is officially part of the solution.
Photos courtesy of WENN
No sorry, this doesn’t sit right with me. If he’s producing and will take extra note to be fair? Great, well done. Otherwise this smacks of some bizarre “knight in shining armour” complex. The answer sounds like “what do people want to hear?” And if they won’t bring up the salary of his female costar he will walk away from the project I guess? Riiiighhhht.
+1 to all you said
Plus he was a producer on American Hustle and was shocked at the salary difference????????
And as a producer he was in a position to do something about it if it bothered/shocked him that much.
Was he a major producer? There’s often a bazillion producers on projects and they have varying levels of power.
What Claire says. Plus he says that he’s got people who care for his money and probably negotiate for him. And he obviously realizes now that he should be part of the process too.
There were also reports that David O’Russell was being abusive to Amy Adams, reducing her to tears and forcing Christian Bale to step in and defend her. Did Cooper drop the ball on that one too? He had a lot of scenes with Amy and DOR said he was very much present during editing, if those reports are true it would have been hard for him to miss it. It will be interesting to see if Amy or Christian ever work with them again.
He was an executive producer on AH, so I would assume he at least had access to the salary information.
Yes, exactly. It sounds to me as though he thinks a man has to speak up for the problem to be addressed.
Actually it is nice that a man speaks up at all.
It is also nice if a man offers some solidarity.
Cooper suggests transparency and I can’t see much wrong with that.
In a male dominated industry, it unfortunately does take a man to help a woman out because there are still not enough women with power to help.
I speak from experience not from the movie industry but from the legal profession, which is still very much a boys club. Either there are no women in a position to help, or not enough of them. When millenials wonder why feminism is still needed this is why.
All of this is killing my desire to even see movies anymore
I’m not disagreeing with what you are saying, but at least he is trying to change. And maybe it is just empty promises, but at least he is starting that conversation. I hateit how so many reaponses are just ‘well he shouldn’t be doing that’ or ‘he didn’t do that for AH blahblah’
BCoop is also credited as an executive producer which is like the 2nd tier producer, who is involved in the development, financing or production of the movie, but generally not all three. So it could have been they attached his name early to get studio funding and that is why he got a credit etc. Now I’m not saying he couldn’t have done more, but we don’tknow what went on, and also at least he is doing something now, I think it is shitty to rip on someone trying to make a change, instead of looking at the people who aren’t doing anything or even talking about the issues.
I don’t understand what happened to Bradley Cooper’s face. He looks like the wax work version of himself….
He looks like a bad looking woman. I don’t get it how the camera actually makes him look good on film, ’cause his face always puzzles me in photos.
I don’t know Cooper got to be such a big star. He’s a decent actor, nothing special IMO.
I remember the BCoop from Alias. So freaking adorable. Now he has this joker look and looks like he’s had a facelift. Is that it?
He is sooooooo weird no . He had a hot phase during the hangover. But, he’s creepy looking now. Seriously. Like in that white pants suit!!! Yikes.
He was so cute. I still have a lingering affection for him because of Alias.
Yes and other Hollywood men need to stand up for this issue too. They need to be willing to be on equal footing. They are liberal with most other world issues, but don’t seem to be ready to step back and demand fair salaries for women. Used to think that salaries should be private business until I moved to a country where they are mostly not. Imagine how people would react if all salaries were required to be public. The backlash would be enormous.
But if they do they’ll be accused of mansplaining like Bedhead said but honestly can people actually use that word in the right context.
But i’d like to see him try and get sienna miller the same paycheck as him, are we really going to get mad over Bradley being paid more than Sienna Miller?
It’s not like they’re all maths teachers in the same school, the paycheck in hollywood comes withe box office but people on the internet don’t realize that.
First of all, kudos to him for speaking up. Second, I am not buying the argument that – what, he is a man so he should stay out of the argument? Excuse me but why? By that logic, if I am a white female I shouldn’t stand up for equal rights for WoC or PoC?
A major star providing an example is great and will hopefully lead to more men speaking out on the issue. I don’t care if they do it out of real conviction, or being shamed into it, or just opening the debate. The more voices the better.
Finally, why are we mixing apples with oranges? No one is suggesting that the star, be it him or Damon or, say, Chris Pratt, get paid the same amount as a lesser known (less box office draw) female star with less screen time. The perfect example here, as he said, is Adams getting paid less than bloody Renner. In what universe is that justified?
Well said, Vauvert. We should all speak out in support of others, with the key word being “support.” As long as Cooper and other male stars are asking ” how can I help?” (rather than dominating the movement for PR purposes) they’re doing the right thing.
@Vauvert: For me, it isn’t a case of “he is a man so he should stay out of the argument”. Not at all. Here’s part of the quote Bedhead used: “In his own bid to address the pay gap, Cooper said he has begun teaming up with female co-stars to negotiate salaries before any film he is interested in working on goes into production.”
He apparently thinks he has to rescue the poor damsel in distress, cuz they simply can’t do it themselves. I’m not okay with that. Speaking up, yes. If he’s part of a production team, then it’s appropriate for him to stick his nose into wage negotiations. But as a costar? I’d be insulted if he tried to pull that ish with me.
Yes!! Thank you, Mark.
I too like Cooper’s statement. He tries to push for some transparency.
Everybody who applies for a job in private business does his research: how much can I demand for that job! You go into talks about a job with the knowledge about how much you can demand. You google. You ask co-workers and such.
Now with entertainment business it is more difficult because it is less standardised. You might find out what certain actors got for a movie AFTER the movie has been made and paid. But try to find out BEFORE. Good luck.
Cooper suggests to tell his female co-stars how much he gets and that would enable his co-stars to demand a fair income in relation to the male star’s income.
Additionally there is a limited / fixed budget for a movie and the distribution of the money among actors is negotiated. That means that an actor gets more only if somebody else gets less. But if the actor discloses how much he is going to make then it might happen that his female co-stars might demand a re-distribution of the money. In the end the actor might get less.
So Coopers suggestion is actually VERY courageous because he might end up with less if he enables his female co-stars to demand a fairer (bigger) share of the money.
I agree with you and that is exactly what should happen. Actors should get paid according to how much time they are in the film, budget, etc, but female and male stars that are both well known or not should be getting equal pay. The male actors likely don’t speak up b/c they don’t want a cut in pay. To me, this shows that many liberal actors are only liberals until it hits their pocketbooks, then they become conservative and hush, hush.
“The male actors likely don’t speak up b/c they don’t want a cut in pay.”
Who does?
. . . or they don’t speak up because it’s none of their business. I can’t believe this is a board full of feminists who are angry that male actors aren’t protecting the little females by taking pay cuts or giving soundbites.
Good for him!
Where did Cooper mansplain?
I’m interested to see whether or not he follows through, especially, as some have pointed out in other forums, an industry higher up could easily say, “ok, we’ll just cut your fee, pay you what we’re paying [insert actress here], and cover the difference.” In that instance, he’d really have two options: take the pay cut in order for the sake of equal pay or keep his usual fee but be willing to walk away if the actress(es) aren’t paid fairly.
Let’s see Coops. Let’s see.
I don’t see the mansplaining either. He’s just talking from his point of view, which is fair. He’s not talking down.
What matters here is if he walks the talk. Is he an ally, or not?
I wonder where the acting unions are on this issue? Why so quiet?
I seem to recall the cast of Friends basically formed their own on-set ‘union’ for salary negotiations, benefits, dressing rooms, etc. They demanded to be treated the same and it worked – though the cast of a tv show has to work together for years. A movie set’s generally active for a few weeks or months, then the actors scatter.
Good on BCoop for trying, anyway.
That is who needs to really be speaking up here: the acting unions. Why are they so silent on this issue?
I give Bradley credit for addressing the issue and wanting to help in someway. I hope he means it and is not just paying lip service.
Reading his comments, I too was reminded of the Friends salary negotiations, and hope that’s what he’s talking about. If he and a female costar sit down and decide to say “look, we’re equal partners in this movie, we demand the same paycheck” then that’s good. If he’s aware of it when he produces a film and makes sure everyone is paid fairly, that’s good. If he’s thinking he has to help women who can’t help themselves, not good.
Beige booty shorts will never die!!
I appreciate what he’s doing and believe his intentions are good. I’m sorry the executives in Hollywood won’t do this on their own. More women need to walk away from unfair situations, and I think it’s helpful if the men are willing to stand up, too. It does annoy me that this is what it takes, instead of women just being valued the same way men are, but that’s not BC’s fault. Good for him.
One has to be able to afford walking away. And those who are treated most unfair (less known actresses) do probably need the paycheck the most.
How about making a law that enforces a simple regulation: all actors in a movie are told what the other actors get in / during negotiations. Like:
“Superstar X is currently negotiating 12Mio for this movie.”
“We are talking to Superstar DD and she is currently being offered 250.000 for this movie.”
I think he called out Amy Adams in that first paragraph. Rightfully.
The fact that JLaw came out for a fight and Coop is now backing her up does not bode well for Adams’ strategy of silence. I am sure she will take care to ask for more money in negotiations but she doesn’t want to be perceived as a trouble-maker.
I am a stranger on the internet.
And I approve this post.
All of this revolves around the fact that Adams was underpaid, since I believe in the Sony Hacks they said they could not pay the latecomer Lawrence more than the leading lady. There are good reasons why all three men were paid the same, since the roles were in flux at the beginning, with Bale dropping in and out. Also the story changed significantly during filming and editing, so commenting on the eventual size of the roles is a bit meaningless, when wages were sorted out months before. Adams had a different agent and a different agency and it appears they let her down, because her role as a lead character was never in question. So Lawrence was paid fairly as a supporting actor, Renner ended up being paid as a lead, but there looks to be good reasons for that and Adams was seriously underpaid. However, she has the right not to talk about it publicaly and none of us know the nature of her relationship with her agent. She is not the bad guy here.
Amy is definitely not the bad guy *and* she doesn’t want to be perceived as a “troublemaker.” She is a terrific actress in her 40s and she is fortunate enough to still be offered leading parts and juicy supportive roles in this cutthroat, highly ageist industry. I get her strategy (not making noise so that she will still get work) but I also kind of agree with Cooper’s gentle shade — if more women in the business spoke up and reinforced one another, execs and studios could not get away with the gross financial inequity as often.
I admire Cooper for coming forward as an ally after Lawrence’s piece. He has even more power than most leading men, since he is also a successful producer and has very close relationships with some of the most influential directors in the industry. So if someone like that is willing to ally with the cause of equal pay, I actually think something might get done about it. And if something gets done about it in the very visible business of film, I think something might get done about it in other industries, too. I am really hopeful that he will be true to his word on this matter. I would love for his next film with Lawrence to publish what both actors get paid, or at least to state that both actors got exactly the same pay for the same amount of work.
Absolutely, Adams has no duty to “speak out” on this matter. Jellybean is absolutely correct. Bale dropped out of the project and Renner was brought in to do that sizeable role. Bale’s wife then convinced him to do the project and his time freed up, so he came back on and Renner’s part was changed. Russell rewrote the script again and again, and JLaw’s part was basically entirely rewritten and expanded for her to come on the project for a few weeks. Adams won’t negotiate that heavily in her next roles, either, because she herself is a likeable actress who isn’t a huge box office draw in the same vein as JLaw or Sandy Bullock or even Reese Witerspoon in terms of name recognition and Q scores. Further, she works constantly and saturates her own market. She does film after film after film, and I’m sure it’s wisely because she knows the biggest misogynistic issue in Hollywood is how they throw women out to pasture once they are over 30. She is also in want of the Oscar (again, that isn’t shade as why wouldn’t she?), and so she will play nice to anyone and everyone to keep this momentum going. I like her, and I don’t blame her!
Or maybe, Amy Adams, who came from a poor family and unlike some of these other privileged stars didn’t hit it big early (she was over 30) would prefer to fight her own battles privately as opposed to discuss millions of dollars publicly when it’s really none of our business.
I think Adams is a very strong woman. I also think she tends to handle things in her own way. The fact that she doesn’t public essays or ask for attention does not mean that she wasn’t angry about this or wasn’t fighting this. It means that we aren’t privy to her business.
And frankly…where was Bradley Cooper when Adams got publicly humiliated and kicked off the Today show for this crap? Where was his solidarity then? Sorry but my shade is going to anyone here who thinks it’s at all proper to be making Amy Adam out to be somehow lesser here or thinking it’s OK for Cooper—a man who is not subjected to the same misogyny she is/–to put her on the spot like that.
^^ Yes and it also irritates me that JLaw is getting all the sympathy and the ‘poor snowflake she wasn’t paid as much as the others’ comments when in reality the real ‘victim’ of that movie was Amy Adams. She was not only underpaid but was subject to daily abuse from the director – as others have said where was BCoop when this was going on, why wasn’t he there ‘defending’ his co-star. Kudos for that all goes to Christian Bale who stood up for her. But of course it wasn’t the current Hollywood IT girl and his (BCoop) friend who was being mistreated so why would he care.
Considering the size of her part – JLaw was paid fairly. Adams was the lead and wasn’t paid what she was due and i agree that a supporting player shouldn’t be paid more than the lead (less time spend on working on the movie etc..). Its all about being paid fairly for your work. I disagree that someone should get paid more for 3 weeks work over someone who spent 3 months working on it just because there a so called ‘box office name’.
And I am glad that this is being talked about but with regards to the American Hustle movie JLaw was not unfairly treated.
I agree, Kate – Adams has always been very private, and I think just doesn’t want the public spectacle of playing this out in the media. And that doesn’t mean she’s going to sit quietly by and take whatever scraps are offered, I think she will stand up for herself but wants to do it privately. Which is certainly her right, though I do applaud those speaking out and bringing attention to the issue.
Amy Adams – love her on screen. Brilliant.
But she is much older than JLaw and she has less press. JLaw is currently the young genius but Adams is not. Adams has an eternal competitor in Isla Fisher as both of them look so alike. Derailing JLaw’s career would be very very difficult at the moment as she has delivered very good performances and won prizes and she is in a well-liked franchise (X-Men). But ruining Adams career wouldn’t be that difficult and if Hollywood is anywhere near as backstabbing as reported then Adams might fear for her career.
Perhaps given her age and her lack of big JLaw-like pr she might really not be able to afford to do some publicity for equal pay. Not if she wants to have a career …
Those who most need to stand up for themselves can afford the least trouble.
this is a bit over reaction. the market decides the wages.
Well, how does “the market” decide the wages? That happens only when there’s enough information available about supply and demand for the work. When we’re talking about actors, there’s only one JLaw. If a director really wants her, she ought to be able to name her price, as long as it isn’t totally outrageous (say, $1 trillion).
That said, it helps each actor negotiate her or his price if she or he knows what’s being offered to others up for comparable roles in a project. I haven’t followed the Sony email leak much, but it sounds like the emails reveal that people don’t know that information going in, which is why it’s become an issue. JLaw probably thought her people did a good job of negotiating a wage for her until the men’s wages started to be revealed.
And there’s no good reason why an actor should receive higher pay on a set than an actress, all other things being equal.
Hi Poisonous – by your thought out replies here, I’d say you are quite pragmatic and I am honestly puzzled but am leaning to thinking that you are a man. I agree and pretty sure that Bradley would too, that negotiation takes in many considerations and that as to American Hustle the fluid nature of the whole project did complicate it. And your awareness of the movie makes me wonder if you work in a related area. As Mr. Cooper stated in a Burnt junket interview (where he did not need to open the issue), the gender inequality exists all over the world. He wasn’t talking tinsel town there. His heart and mind is with trying to shift the mindset by opening up the conversation. He knows its a monster. Yes it’s grandiose in a humble way. Someone has to be the first to refuse to sit at the back of the bus. And they will need a lot of support. The success of Hollywood movies and their actors is as fickle as a flame in the wind and the $$$ success is often nothing to do with being a great movie. Well that’s my perception that gems are often trod over in the rush for trash. But Bcoop has earned his stripes and garnered some power and wants to be a force for good. That a few women break through to entering a man’s world in high earnings is not a statement of empowerment and I see and feel Amy Adam’s fear in not protesting. After Hustle, my thought was how awesome she was, such an intriguing vulnerable person. But guess what — as a woman, I say that women and men all need to be rescued by doing the right thing for each other. When we can honor one another we are all elevated. And thanks to Celebitchy for doing that with this article – didn’t seem like the usual editorial stuff Bedhead!
@WowBradleysMom: I’m not a man; I’m a divorced woman raising two kids on my own. I am far, far from Hollywood and am not involved in any work related to entertainment.
I understand that BCoop wasn’t specifically talking about Hollywood. My comments there were in response to foxface’s statement that “the market decides the wages”. The Hollywood market is not a typical market, partly because it’s hard to learn what people are being paid for specific roles and to try to equate across them (much like comparing homes in a given real estate market). The other thing that makes it difficult is that scarcity is much more real: as I said before, there’s only one JLaw, not an assembly line of identical, interchangeable actresses.
I agree that women and men all need to support each other, and that we need to do right by each other. Maybe that’s where my take on his comments differs from others’… when I was a kid, I wasn’t “rescued”. My parents let me try to work through things and left me alone until I asked for help, as long as the situation wasn’t an emergency. So to have someone come in unasked and say, “I’ll help you!” without me asking for it just rubs me the wrong way. Especially if the person has no expertise in the matter. I appreciate Cooper’s intention, but he isn’t a negotiator by trade; he’s an actor.
It seems to me like the same reasoning behind why some women get upset when a man opens a door for her (I’m not one of those women, for the record).
Sorry, your team negotiates for you. If you are JLaw and earn less than Renner your team failed you.
I could also see how studios gamble on locking somebody into a role, offering more money as an incentive, or to get someone who s especially famous in a desirable territory, e.g. if you want to break China, pay extra for someone who can get your film to be big over there.
Aside from that I do agree with the need for equal pay for equal work.
This all comes down to POWER.. Coop can say what he wants in support of this issue. But the bottom line is POWER. Power to be a part of the negotiations. All of the people involved were not in on the money talk. They relied on their teams to get the best deal they could. If you have some POWER in this business then you have people coming to you with a script in hand wanting you to be in it. The vast majority of these people are still having to audition for parts. So if your price is too high then they will go to another actor. Coop and other males can be supportive; but again if the Production has a set amount to spend on salary they divide that up the way they think it will get them the cast they want. Bigger Stars will get bigger money because studios feel they can recoup some of that in other markets. A lot of the women that are talking about the pay unfairness are not bringing in big BO numbers on their own. Most are supporting roles.
It is an issue that is and will remain. I don’t know how to fix it. Actors make insane money. We saw this discussion about RDJ.. some people were so praising this over payment other not. So it is fine for some and not for others. It is interesting that all of this talk started at this particular time
Well, as a moral rule, I don’t mind the rich getting richer as long as the bottom 50% experience SERIOUS improvements as well. (It is known that that hasn’t happened in recent years, yes.)
So that rule in movies and pay for actors and actresses would mean that the differences between the high-paid male leads and the female leads should become less. And that the lower ranks in the hierarchy make a decidedly more, too.
Yes, in the end this will result in some top-rank actors getting a bit less. But that will make the whole thing more fair.
Historically, when white men have been at the top of a food chain, the divide-and-separate-and-keep-surpressed phenomenon has worked in their favor… leaving everyone else to fight them – and, worse, amongst themselves – for any scraps leftover.
Come on into the big human tent, Bradley; there’s plenty of room to fight for what’s right. It’s about damn time for all those big, powerful white male winners to welcome the challenge of greeting all the driven, talented other potential winners as fair and equal competition.
One more thing: I never felt like a white knight in shining straight armor rescuing damsel gay men or POC in distress when I was out there fighting and yelling and marching alongside them for their human rights; I felt like a human being fighting for the rights of other human beings, and fighting – in general, in the big picture – against accepted discrimination towards many marginalized folks.
So: welcome, men, to the 21st century. Happy to hear your voice and see you advocate and practice less discrimination when you’re with us and not agin’ us. And while we’re at it, I would especially love to see and hear a lot more voice and action from our gay brothers & veterans in the struggle when it comes to putting your considerable money and influence and activism and organizational skills and creative, pissed-off voices to work.
Your patronizing, condescending tone towards gay people and veterans is uncalled for.
I am not – nor do I feel, nor have I ever been or felt – ‘patronizing’ or ‘condescending’ towards gay people.
My use of the word ‘veterans’ in this context is as follows:
“Noun: an old hand, past master, doyen, vet; informal old-timer, old stager, old warhorse. Adjective: a veteran diplomat: long-serving, seasoned, old, hardened; adept, expert, well trained, practiced, experienced, senior; informal battle-scarred.”
Contrary to your curious interpretation of what I said, it is meant (and is in context) as a term of recognized honor and experience and dedication and obstacles overcome. And yes, I would most definitely consider myself as just another still-active veteran of many movements for equal rights – for all sorts of people.
I have every right to think that people fighting for the rights of others are also fighting for their own, and that people who’ve had support from others in their own struggles would do well to similarly support people who need help in theirs.
I appreciate what he says and I think THIS is important. It’s important to understand how others are negotiating. This is a good tactic and I’m glad he’s doing this.
I agree. He went on the record right after Lawrence’s piece came out and that’s so important. At this stage, men who have pull in the industry need to give a verbal commitment to fighting for equal pay. They need to strongly and clearly say that they are in the fight and they need to follow up. And of course women and their agents need to continue fighting. Both men and women need to throw in with this cause and need to continue to rally others to the cause. Then maybe, we will see change.
Yep, now JLaw doesn’t look like a single revolutioner but it looks like there are many people sharing her point of view.
Where are the others supporting equality?
G. Clooney – think about running for president!
M. Streep – remember your feminist movie?
A, Jolie – be fair and humanitarian and all that. Charity starts at home.
B. Pitt – you have daughters!
M. Damon – see B. Pitt!
M. Douglas – either you stand up for equality or I’ll tell your wife!
De Niro – if your co-stars get more then your ex-wives will get less!
Dicaprio – not all women wear lingerie for a living.
H. Winestone – if you b** them then you can pay them for the movie, too.
the last two ones – well, …
So… I agree that this ideally should not be done with a savior complex or knight in shining armor mentality.
But if it’s sincere and if he legitimately behaves as a true ally then yeah, this is important. In order for systemic change to happen, people with power and privilege have to take a stand. I hope that is what this is.
Interestingly, according to Mike Fleming at Deadline Hollywood, Jennifer Lawrence was the highest paid performer on American Hustle (on a per day basis):
Lawrence – $1.5 million + 7 points back end for 19 days work
Bale – $2.5 million + 9 points for 45 days work
Cooper – $2.5 million + 9 points for 46 days work
Adams – $1.25 million + 7 points for 45 days work
If these numbers are accurate, Lawrence has nothing to complain about. Adams, however, most certainly does.
Adams most definitely does have a reason to be angry but I think the piece people keep forgetting here is that this was extremely private information about her life OBTAINED illegally. I imagine that Adams was and is angry and is probably dealing with it in her own way with her agents but it’s super inappropriate for people to act like she’s bound to talk about humiliating info about he salary that was obtained illegally and dispersed publicly without her consent. And it’s uncool for Cooper to act like it’s OK to “shade” her when he stood by and let the Today show humiliate Amy back two days after this happened by kicking her off the show. Cooper was on the Today show too that week. Where was his support then?
Good points.
I’ll believe it when it happens.
Ok, most actors are NOT paid big bucks. Let us recognize we are talking about the elite of the elite. This is a problem faced by a very tiny select group of female actors and it is the symbolism that holds real meaning for us. Most actors feel lucky to get paid work period.
I applaud Cooper and think people are being way too hard on him. Privileged people DO need to stand up for the underprivileged, whether it is middle or upper class people sending kids to a diverse (economic or racial) school district or men advocating pay equity for women. It makes a difference. We all need to work together.
I remember Vigfo Mortensen was sent in to represent all the Lord of the Rings actors to renegotiate salaries given the success of the sequels. So, groups of actors negotiating salaries is not an unprecedented phenomenon, even though gender is the issue here.
First rule in show business: nobody knows anything.
Now see this is a movie that is a perfect example of the pay gap. Amy Adams was the biggest draw, most successful and biggest part and lowest paid. That is a crime not like the Martian.
As for what Cooper has said… I’ve gone back and forth on it. One I don’t like the oh let me help the little women out feel to it. Although I’m not sure that is what he means. I’m wondering if he is saying they need to approach the negotiations like the friends cast did? I honestly couldn’t tell. I also know that in a male dominated industry where women aren’t respected sadly having men say this is wrong would be helpful. I don’t like that but some times the reality is the reality.
What I did find interesting was the part about the agents… That was interesting to me. Why are they continuing to let this slide when it is how they make money.