7 Women Actors Been Paid Equal Or More Than Their Male Co-Stars

In 2018, Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg donated the 1.5 million dollars he earned from the reshoots of 'All The Money In The World' to the Times Up movement in his co-star Michelle Williams' honour. This was after Williams voiced her opinion on the pay disparity in the entertainment industry at an Equal Pay Day event at Capitol Hill. Williams credited fellow actor Jessica Chastain for always amplifying the voices of the women in the industry who have long been fighting for equal pay.

Williams mentioned, "Jessica Chastain was never fearful of picking up a megaphone and being heard." Williams added that it was only two weeks prior to the event that she was paid equally as her male co-star. It has taken not one but several women actors to pick up those megaphones, write op-ed pieces and scream on top of their voices about the severe gaps that lay when it came to getting paid in comparison to their male co-stars and while they're getting their due, the fight is still long and hard.

Recently, Priyanka Chopra was featured on BBC's list of 100 most influential women and, among other things, she spoke about how she was only now paid the same amount as her male co-star in Hollywood, whereas, having acted in more than fifty films in Bollywood, she was never paid equally. Drawing from how far Chopra has come and how much she has persisted and fought for, let's take a look at some women actors who have been paid equally or more than their male co-actors, a move that was a long time coming.

Suggested reading: Priyanka Chopra Receives Equal Pay For First Time In 22 Year Career

Women Actors Paid Equal To Male Leads

Priyanka Chopra

In her two-decade-long career in the entertainment industries across Hindi and English films, actor-producer Chopra was paid equally to her male co-star in her latest project as a lead actor. The former Miss World, who is also an entrepreneur, recently appeared in BBC's list of the hundred most influential women in the world. She ">shared how she has been paid an equal amount in her latest work, Citadel, produced by Russo Brothers. Recalling the deep misogyny she was subjected to, Chopra stated that having done almost sixty films in the Hindi film industry, she never received fair pay and Hollywood gave her that after a hard struggle.  

Deepika Padukone

Considered one of the most-paid female actors in Bollywood, Deepika Padukone was paid more than her male co-actors Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor in the highly acclaimed film, Padmaavat. Padukone even got paid more than Amitabh Bachchan for the film Piku that they starred together in. Bachchan spoke about it in an interview and stated that Padukone's accomplishments make her deserving of the pay she has been getting lately.

Alia Bhatt

Touted as one of the most versatile actors in the Indian film industry, Alia Bhatt rose to fame through some impeccable performances in her decade-long career in films. Bhatt was reportedly paid more than her co-actor Vicky Kaushal in their award-winning film, Raazi.

Kareena Kapoor Khan

Kareena Kapoor Khan has delivered some great performances over the years. She was reportedly paid more than her co-actor Arjun Kapoor in their film, Ki & Ka, which not only broke several stereotypes but paved the way for change in the way films were made.

Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron paved way for more women in Hollywood to negotiate their paychecks after she strongly negotiated her salary for the film, The Huntsman. Theron fought for equal pay and eventually got paid the same amount as her male co-star Chris Hemsworth.

Jennifer Lawrence

Golden Globe and Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence voiced her opinion on pay disparity when she penned down her experience in a 2015 article titled 'Why Do I Make Less Than My Co-Stars?' It took several films and asks before Lawrence was paid fairly.

Sienna Miller

Actor Sienna Miller was paid fairly for the film 21 Bridges after her co-star Chadwick Boseman donated an of his pay to ensure the same. Miller, who had negotiated her salary asked for equal pay as she was putting a lot at stake to work in films again, and  Boseman stepped up to back her claims and helped her get her right to equal pay.