Mark Wahlberg Is Donating His $1.5M From 'All The Money In The World' Reshoots To #TimesUp

All the Money in the World continues to make headlines — not for its plot, but for the ways it's intersected with the #MeToo movement. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mark Wahlberg is donating his reshoot salary from the film to the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund. Wahlberg is donating $1.5 million, and his agency, William Morris Endeavor, is contributing an additional $500,000 as well. Both Wahlberg and WME are making their donations in the name of Michelle Williams, the film's female lead, who was reportedly paid less than 1 percent of Wahlberg's salary.

In a statement to THR, Wahlberg said,

"Over the last few days my reshoot fee for 'All the Money in the World' has become an important topic of conversation. I 100 percent support the fight for fair pay and I’m donating the $1.5 million to the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund in Michelle Williams' name."

Reshoots for All the Money in the World (film editor: Claire Simpson) were necessitated when director Ridley Scott decided to cut Kevin Spacey from the film and replace him with Christopher Plummer in the wake of the sexual assault allegations against Spacey. (For his part, Spacey claims that he has no memory of the events being alleged against him, but he apologized if he caused any harm.) While initial reports suggested that all of the actors involved in the reshoot, aside from Plummer, agreed to forego any additional salary, it later came to light that Wahlberg reportedly negotiated an extra million-dollar fee. Meanwhile, Williams was reportedly paid a rate of $80 per day, according to USA Today.

When news of Wahlberg's hefty salary in comparison to Williams' small fee made headlines, the Transformers actor and WME — who also represents Williams — seemed to realize that an actor profiting off of reshoots that were done due to sexual misconduct allegations didn't quite sit right. And on Saturday, Jan. 13, they took steps to change that.

For their part, WME also issued a statement to THR. The agency said,

"The current conversation is a reminder that those of us in a position of influence have a responsibility to challenge inequities, including the gender wage gap. In recognition of the pay discrepancy on the 'All the Money in the World' reshoots, WME is donating an additional $500,000 to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund in Michelle Williams' name, following our $1 million pledge to the organization earlier this month. It's crucial that this conversation continues within our community and we are committed to being part of the solution."

When Williams found out that reshoots for the film were taking place, she was apparently so grateful that Scott was taking the claims against Spacey seriously that she was happy to forego any additional salary.

In December, Williams told USA Today, "I said I'd be wherever they needed me, whenever they needed me. And they could have my salary, they could have my holiday, whatever they wanted. Because I appreciated so much that they were making this massive effort."

All the Money in the World chronicles the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, and the extreme lengths that his mother, Gail, went to in hopes of saving her son. Williams plays Gail, and she's the film's true lead. Her role even earned her a Best Actress nomination at the 2018 Golden Globes. While Williams' films may be considered generally smaller affairs than Wahlberg's, she's also netted four Oscar nominations over the course of her career so far.

The huge wage gap between Williams and Wahlberg illustrates that Hollywood still has a long way to go before true equality is achieved. It's good to know that Wahlberg and WME's donations will be used to help women through the Time's Up initiative, and it's heartening to see that this discussion surrounding the pay inequality on the set of All the Money in the World led to positive action. However, the difference in the way Wahlberg and Williams were treated in the first place is proof that the fight to close the wage gap is only just beginning.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit online.rainn.org.