Hollywood is cruel to women, even if you’re already a popular actress. The pay gap between men and women has long been under criticism by actresses who are fed up. late last year, Jennifer Lawrence publicly admitted in a letter that she had been paid less than her co-stars for the same amount of work. Now, Hilary Swank offers up a disgusting example of just how little women in Hollywood make for every man’s dollar.
In an interview on Chelsea, Swank admitted that she was only paid $3,000 for her Academy Award-winning role in Boys Don’t Cry. After winning her second Oscar, the actress was offered a co-starring spot across from an actor who had a lot of buzz but none of the same critical acclaim. That actor was paid $10 million while Swank was offered $500,000. She turned down the role, and it ended up being filled by an up-and-coming actress who was paid just $50,000. Imagine starring opposite a man making $10 million and you’re paid just $50,000? It sounds terrible, but that’s pretty standard when it comes to Hollywood who has long pushed the idea that women should just be happy to be there.
Check out the full clip above and watch Connie Britton, Ava DuVernay and Chelsea Handler talk about women’s issues in Hollywood.
