After receiving her third academy award nomination, "American Hustle" actress Jennifer Lawrence had a lot to be proud of. After starring in "The Hunger Games" franchise and winning an Oscar for "Silver Lining’s Playbook" the year before, Lawrence cemented her place in Hollywood in a few short years. However, the actress recently penned an essay addressing a not-so-fun topic relating to her career. In the Oct. 13 edition of actress Lena Dunham’s new newsletter "Lenny," Lawrence wrote about the gender pay inequality happening in Hollywood.
"When the Sony hack happened and I found out how much less I was being paid than the lucky people with d----, I didn't get mad at Sony… I got mad at myself,” Lawrence wrote, adding that she felt that aspects of her personality that needed to be liked led to her not getting the best deal for herself.
After Sony was hacked last November, private information was made public, including the salaries of the actors that worked on "American Hustle." Lawrence was shocked to find that she made less money than the men she worked on the movie with. The essay touched on the fact that she feels the need to make sure she does not come across as “annoying” or “spoiled” when talking about contracts, yet her three male co-stars (Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, and Jeremy Renner) were able to get the deals that best suited them.
While many celebrities, including Lawrence’s "The Hunger Games" co-star Josh Hutcherson and "Harry Potter" actress Emma Watson, have spoken out in support of the essay, some people aren't in agreement that everyone can fight for pay equality. Her "American Hustle" co-star Jeremy Renner said that negotiating contracts is “not his job."
A similar situation appears to be happening in the theater industry as well. Golden Globe nominee Sienna Miller recently turned down a role in a Broadway play because she would have been paid less than her male co-star. In an interview with E!, Miller stated, "I walked away from a play that I wanted to do because I was offered less than half of what the other man was offered and it was just the two of us… [I did] what we have to start doing, unfortunately, at the expense of our creative dreams."
Miller’s latest co-star, who also starred with Lawrence in "American Hustle," Bradley Cooper spoke out in support. "One thing I could say is that's interesting because if you think that you only deserve a certain amount and that's not correct, it's about changing that mindset and sticking up for yourself the way that Sienna did," the actor told E! News.
Hollywood’s way of thinking was questioned in the essay when she wrote, "Are we socially conditioned to behave this way? Could there still be a lingering habit of trying to express our opinions in a certain way that doesn't 'offend' or 'scare' men?"
Lawrence hopes her essay sparks a conversation about equality within Hollywood. With so many celebrities speaking out publicly, the dialogue has been opened, encouraging people to share their opinions.
