Hilary Swank didn’t hold back when discussing her pay in the industry.
The actress sat down with Chelsea Handler, Connie Britton, “Selma” director Ava DuVernay and Miss USA 2016 Deshauna Barber for an episode of “Chelsea.” The group discussed how women are treated in Hollywood and the gender pay gap came up.
Swank said she was offered a fraction of what a male was offered to work on a movie, even though she had already won multiple Oscars and the male was not acclaimed for his acting.
“I win my second Academy Award, and the next couple of movies later, I get offered a movie, but the male hadn’t had any kind of critical success but had been in a movie where he was hot, and he got offered $10 million, and I got offered $500,000.”
The table responded with shock. Swank said she couldn’t accept the low-paying gig.
“So, I said no, and then they went and found a newcomer that went and did it for $50,000,” she said.
The actress joked that the $450,000 the filmmakers saved was likely given to male actor as a bonus.
Swank didn’t name the film or say when it occurred. She won Oscars for 1993’s “Camp Wilder” and 2004’s “Million Dollar Baby.”
She also said she was paid $3,000 for an earlier role even after she had an Oscar under her belt.
“When I did ‘Boys Don’t Cry,’ I was 24 years old. I made $3,000. In order to have health insurance you have to make $5,000… I had an Academy Award -- no health insurance.”
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