Natalie Portman Gets Candid About Gender Pay Gap In Hollywood, Says ‘Disparity Is Crazy’

Gender pay inequality is nothing new in Hollywood. In fact, several actresses have already taken a public stance against it, and Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman has become the latest celebrity who broke her silence over the gender pay gap in the entertainment industry.

During a recent interview with Marie Claire U.K., Portman got candid over the gender pay inequality in the industry and revealed that a co-actor for a romantic-comedy film she starred in got paid three times more than her. According to Entertainment Weekly, the “Black Swan” actress was referring to Ashton Kutcher, whom she had worked with on the 2011 film, “No Strings Attached.”

Despite the inequality, Portman said she wasn’t upset and just went along with it. However, the 35-year-old actress stressed there’s a “clear issue with women not having opportunities.”

“I wasn’t as pissed as I should have been,” Portman said, as per Variety. “I mean, we get paid a lot, so it’s hard to complain, but the disparity is crazy.”

“Ashton Kutcher was paid three times as much as me on ‘No Strings Attached,’” Portman added. “I knew and I went along with it because there’s this thing with ‘quotes’ in Hollywood. His [Kutcher’s quote] was three times higher than mine so they said he should get three times more.”

Portman’s statements, which will be published on the February issue of Marie Claire U.K., came after Jennifer Lawrence and Rooney Mara slammed the gender pay gap in Hollywood. People reported that Lawrence got mad at herself after finding out that she was paid less compared to her co-actors. The issue of the wage gap in the entertainment industry was highlighted after thousands of documents were leaked when Sony was hacked in 2015.

Portman then added that people should be “part of the solution” of this gender discrimination issue instead of being the perpetuator.

Meanwhile, Portman’s co-actor, Kutcher, has reacted to Portman’s statements. On a Twitter post, Kutcher shared a message of support for Portman, who is currently pregnant with her second child, and other Hollywood celebrities who were vocal about the gender pay inequality in Hollywood, E! News noted. On his post, Kutcher said he is proud of Portman for speaking up against gender pay gap in the industry.

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