The issue of pay disparity between women and men continues to be a hot topic and it’s a matter that has often come up in Hollywood between actors and actresses. Two different stories have addressed this issue this week and Kirsten Dunst and Jennifer Lawrence talking pay disparity between themselves and their male co-star in Spider-Man and Don’t Look Up.
During a chat with “Independent“, Dunst addressed that while the first Spider-Man film grossed $821 million worldwide and its sequel took in $789 million globally, the actress didn’t see much of that. Dunst said, “The pay disparity between me and Spider-Man was very extreme. I didn’t even think about it. I was like, ‘Oh yeah, Tobey [Maguire] is playing Spider-Man.’ But you know who was on the cover of the second Spider-Man poster? Spider-Man and ME.”
Looking at their filmographies at the time they both landed Spider-Man, I would say that Tobey Maguire was more of a name, even though Kirsten Dunst had consistent credits since breaking out in Interview With The Vampire. Maguire, as she said, was also playing Spider-Man so that’s another reason he would be paid more but she does make an interesting point about the poster for Spider-Man 2. There were several posters released for that film but the main one does feature her front and center with the title character. Dunst didn’t go into how much of a disparity there was so we will have to just speculate.
Jennifer Lawrence also addressed the issue of pay disparity but her feelings on that matter, at least in regards to her current film, didn’t really view it in a negative light. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence are co-headlining Adam McKay’s satirical sci-fi ensemble comedy, Don’t Look Up. A “Vanity Fair” story noted in a recent interview with Lawrence that she was paid $25 million for the film versus DiCaprio’s $30 million. That’s about 83 cents for every dollar he was paid, which is very close to the 82.2 cents women employed full-time made versus every dollar paid to men in 2020. Lawrence admitted to being aware of the pay gap and seemed to put a positive spin on it while also explaining that inquiring about the matter with your employer can get awkward:
“Look, Leo brings in more box office than I do. I’m extremely fortunate and happy with my deal but in other situations, what I have seen–and I’m sure other women in the workforce have seen as well–is that it’s extremely uncomfortable to inquire about equal pay. And if you do question something that appears unequal, you’re told it’s not gender disparity but they can’t tell you what exactly it is.”
Lawrence previously addressed pay disparity back in 2015 in an essay entitled, “Why Do I Make Less Than My Male Co-Stars?” The actress wrote the essay after finding out that she and co-star Amy Adams were paid less for their roles in 2013’s American Hustle, which proved to be a critical and financial success. Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, and, Jeremy Renner were all paid more and instead of getting made at Sony Pictures, Lawrence admitted that she was more upset with herself for not negotiating a more fair deal when she joined the cast. Lawrence said, “I didn’t want to seem ‘difficult’, or ‘spoiled.’ At the time, that seemed like a fine idea, until I saw the payroll on the Internet and realized every man I was working with definitely didn’t worry about being ‘difficult’ or ‘spoiled.'”
This is certainly an interesting topic that continues to come up in the industry. What are YOUR thoughts on Kirsten Dunst’s and Jennifer Lawrence’s thoughts about pay disparity?