When the Sony leak revealed last year that across the board, women in Hollywood were making significantly less than their male costars, I don't know about you, but I was incredibly disheartened. After all, if the gender-based wage gap goes all the way to the top, in an industry that's raking in millions and millions of dollars, then what hope is there for us down here at the bottom of the food chain? (She typed, eating spaghetti on her couch in her underwear.) Which is why the news that Jennifer Lawrence is reportedly making $8 million more than Chris Pratt in their upcoming film together is giving me a sigh of relief. Baby steps, Hollywood. We can do this!
The film in question is Passengers, a sci-fi romance that has been in the works in some form or another for a while now, with stars like Keanu Reeves, Reese Witherspoon, and Rachel McAdams all attached at some point. But now it's come down to Pratt and Lawrence, with filming beginning in September, and Lawrence reportedly set to rank in her largest paycheck yet, at $20 million or 30 percent of the film's profits, assuming it breaks even, according to sources who spoke with The Hollywood Reporter. Pratt, on the other hand, will reportedly make $12 million, up $2 million from his original offer, based on a clause he and his team wrote into his contract guaranteeing him more money contingent on Jurassic World having a successful opening. That wager quite clearly paid off, and it gives me hope that Lawrence's will, as well.
There's no direct proof that the pay imbalance in Lawrence's favor is tied to the public outcry about Lawrence and her American Hustle costar Amy Adams getting a significantly lower portion of backend compensation compared with their male costars and director, but what's sure is that we wouldn't be talking about one without the other. If it hadn't been so glaringly obvious that Lawrence was being underpaid — I mean, she's arguably the most sought-after actress on the planet — we wouldn't be talking about the pay disparity going forward, and nothing would change. Instead, we're having real conversations about the inherent value she brings to a project, which gives me real hope for gender equality in Hollywood wages going forward.
And you know what that is? Priceless.
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