After Kevin Spacey was accused of sexual assault and a predatory history, director Ridley Scott decided to reshoot All the Money in World to replace Spacey’s role with Christopher Plummer. Williams’s reply was, “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.” Scott, in a later interview with USA Today, said it the shoot was “not as expensive as you think. Because all of them, everyone did it for nothing”. He goes on to clarify that Plummer was paid, as was the crew, but the actors and himself were not. The film was nominated for three Golden Globes, and everything seemed well.
However, it’s now being reported that supporting actor Mark Wahlberg actually negotiated a different fee, and was paid $1.5 million. “Williams wasn’t told” despite both of them being represented by the William Morris Endeavor. Williams, who received a Golden Globe nomination for her role, was paid 1500 times less–somewhere under $1,000.
The news is upsetting for a number of reasons. Not only is it an example of the industry paying male actors more than women, it’s even more troubling because it shows how one woman put her work into a film’s efforts to support survivors of sexual violence and harassment, only to be insulted by those around her. Wahlberg saw the money and labor being put into taking an alleged predator out of their film, and decided to profit. Four-time Academy Award nominee Williams, meanwhile, received less than 1% of that.
Many were appropriately upset about the news:
Williams (and others) volunteered time and gave up salary for the Spacey-eliminating reshoots because of belief in the cause. Wahlberg’s people secretly negotiated him another $1.5 million. https://t.co/uPopsyYfwq
— Ken Tremendous (@KenTremendous) January 10, 2018
Michelle Williams is a captivating, brilliant talent. Her willingness to take 1k to fix the film is wholly honorable. Why didn’t @WME protect their client? Because they were too busy leveraging her shitty deal to get Wahlberg more money. Wahlberg packaged Entourage at WME.
— Krumholtz (@mrDaveKrumholtz) January 10, 2018
Honestly the real story is that Wahlberg didn’t mind making money off the Spacey scandal. Which should surprise no one given his history.
— Ira Madison III (@ira) January 10, 2018
Mark Wahlberg better donate that money before people start sharing some stories 👀
— Ira Madison III (@ira) January 10, 2018
Before you condemn Wahlberg for this, consider the level of acting talent he’s bringing to this project & then condemn him way more enthusiastically. https://t.co/2t9MxTsXYu
— Paul F. Tompkins (@PFTompkins) January 10, 2018
Williams recently attended the Golden Globes in black with #MeToo founder Tarana Burke, where she said of Burke, “I think that because of the work Tarana has done and the work that I’m learning how to do, we actually have the opportunity to hand our children a different world. So, I am moved beyond measure to be standing next to this woman. I have tears in my eyes and a smile on my face.” Burke said, “This moment is so powerful because we’re seeing a collision of these two worlds — or a collaboration between these two worlds that people don’t usually put together, and would most likely have us pitted against each other.”
The pay discrepancy here is not only unfair and unacceptable, it shows that Wahlberg, her agency, and many others aren’t interested in being a part of this collaboration to change the industry.
(via TIME, image: TriStar Pictures)
Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!
—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—
