Olivia Colman on Hollywood's gender pay gap: "Don’t get me started"
“I’m very aware that if I was Oliver Colman, I’d be earning a f**k of a lot more than I am."
Olivia Colman has spoken out about the ongoing pay disparities in Hollywood, opening up about her experiences in the industry on CNN’s The Amanpour Hour.
Speaking to host Christiane Amanpour, Colman revealed more about the inequalities she's faced in pay in her time in the film and TV industry.
She said: “Don’t get me started on the pay disparity, but male actors get paid more because they used to say they drew in the audiences.
“And actually, that hasn’t been true for decades but they still like to use that as a reason to not pay women as much as their male counterparts.”
When pressed whether she has a pay disparity as an Oscar award-winning actress, Colman told Amanpour: “I’m very aware that if I was Oliver Colman, I’d be earning a f**k of a lot more than I am.
“I know of one pay disparity, which is a 12,000% difference.”
Known for her roles in TV shows such as Broadchurch and The Crown, as well as films like The Favourite and more recently Wicked Little Letters and Wonka, this isn't the first time that Colman has been plain about the ongoing issues in Hollywood.
Speaking to the Radio Times Podcast and featured in a previous issue of Radio Times magazine, Colman spoke about female representation on screen lately.
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She said: "There’ve been many fantastic female-centric films which have moved me. And some of the biggest-grossing films, Barbie, Bridesmaids, Thelma & Louise, are led by women.
"People say men get paid more because they get more bums on seats. That’s a lie! It can be proved in the box office. I don’t know why we’re still having to discuss it!"
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Colman's comments on The Amanpour Hour come after previous comments made by Taraji P Henson for The Hollywood Reporter's Color Purple December cover story.
She said: “I’ve been getting paid and I’ve been fighting tooth and nail every project to get that same freaking [fee] quote.
“And it’s a slap in the face when people go, ‘Oh girl, you work all the time. You always working.’ Well, goddammit, I have to. It’s not because I wish I could do two movies a year and that’s that. I have to work because the math ain’t mathing. And I have bills.”
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Authors
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
