It turns out that No Strings Attached had strings tied pretty tightly around Natalie Portman’s paycheck. The actress alluded that her 2011 rom-com co-star Ashton Kutcher earned three times more than she did.
Portman broke it down in an interview with Marie Claire UK: “His [quote] was three times higher than mine, so they said he should get three times more.” Hollywood’s “quote” system might explain it, but it’s still wild. “I wasn’t as pissed as I should have been,” Portman asserted. And honestly, the disparity’s crazy.
While Portman acknowledged that acting paychecks are sky-high (“it’s hard to complain”), she didn’t let the industry off the hook. And neither did Kutcher, who later praised Portman on Twitter for calling out the imbalance.
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Hollywood’s gender pay problem didn’t exactly sneak up on us. The issue went nuclear in 2015 after the Sony hack revealed legitimate salary disparities. Case in point: Jennifer Lawrence earned less than her American Hustle co-stars Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale.
Lawrence, ever candid, shared her frustration in Lena Dunham’s Lenny Letter. “I didn’t want to keep fighting over millions of dollars… I didn’t want to seem ‘difficult’ or ‘spoiled.’” She added, “Every man I was working with definitely didn’t worry about being ‘difficult.’” That’s Hollywood for you—where being assertive earns men respect and women a reputation.
Back to Portman, though. While she didn’t flip a table over No Strings Attached, she’s clear she’s not here for inequality. During her awards season run for Jackie, Portman doubled down on the need for systemic change. And when it came to portraying Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in based on Sex, Portman insisted the flick have a woman director. “We need to be part of the solution, not perpetuating the problem,” she asserted.
The takeaway? Hollywood’s gender pay gap is more comprehensive than anyone’s mansion driveway, but stars like Portman and Lawrence push for change—one bold statement at a time. And while Portman might not have stormed out of No Strings Attached negotiations, her transparency on the issue has added fuel to a much-needed fire.
It’s 2024, and the pay disparity conversations sparked back then are still reshaping the industry today. But let’s not sugarcoat it: Hollywood’s gender wage gap is like a stubborn plot twist. Thankfully, actresses like Natalie Portman are rewriting the script—and this time, they’re making sure it pays.
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