Jennifer Lawrence is done being polite on the subject of the pay gap between men and women in Hollywood, writing in a new essay that higher pay for “the lucky people with dicks” needs to end.
“I’m over trying to the find the ‘adorable’ way to state my opinion and still be likable,” she wrote in a new essay for Lenny, Lena Dunham‘s feminist newsletter. “Fuck that. I don’t think I’ve ever worked for a man in charge who spent time contemplating what angle he should use to have his voice heard. It’s just heard.”
The “Hunger Games” star explained in a blunt essay titled “Why Do I Make Less Than My Male Co-Stars?” that she wasn’t angry at men in the industry when she learned she had been paid less than her male “American Hustle” co-stars — a startling fact revealed by emails leaked in the Sony hack — she was disappointed at herself for not fighting for more money.
“When the Sony hack happened and I found out how much less I was being paid than the lucky people with dicks, I didn’t get mad at Sony. I got mad at myself,” Lawrence wrote. “I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early. I didn’t want to keep fighting over millions of dollars that, frankly, due to two franchises, I don’t need.”
In fact, an email between Andrew Gumpert, president of business affairs for Columbia Pictures and Sony co-chair Amy Pascal and Doug Belgrad, president of SPE Motion Picture group, revealed that Lawrence made two points less than her male costars for the film “American Hustle.”
“Got a steve warren/gretchen rush call that it’s unfair the male actors get 9 percent in the pool and jennifer is only at 7pts,” Gumpert wrote. “You may recall Jennifer was at 5 (amy was and is at 7) and WE anted in 2 extra points for Jennifer to get her up to 7. If anyone needs to top jennifer up it’s megan [producer Megan Ellison]. BUT I think amy and Jennifer are tied so upping JL, ups AA.”
Gumpert added: “The current talent deals are: O’Russell: 9 percent; Cooper: 9 percent; Bale: 9 percent; Renner: 9 percent; Lawrence: 7 percent; Adams: 7 percent.”
The actress says she gave up negotiating to avoid being labeled a “spoiled brat,” a reference to producer Scott Rudin‘s comments about Angelina Jolie, which were also made public during the Sony hack crisis. But Lawrence wonders if a man demanding his fair share of money would be seen in the same light.
“Again, this might have NOTHING to do with my vagina, but I wasn’t completely wrong when another leaked Sony email revealed a producer referring to a fellow lead actress in a negotiation as a ‘spoiled brat,’” she concluded. “For some reason, I just can’t picture someone saying that about a man.”