Michelle Williams Responds To Mark Wahlberg’s $1.5 Million Donation To #TimesUp
Michelle Williams found herself at the center of a new Hollywood pay disparity controversy when it was learned that she was paid far less than Mark Wahlberg for reshoots of All The Money In The World. How she handled herself has many applauding, whether they were upset with Wahlberg over the pay disparity or not. After all, the donation means a huge win for #TimesUP, which was started in 2018 to deal with issues of sexual harassment and misconduct in the workplace.
Many scenes from All The Money In The World had to be reshot after Kevin Spacey was removed from the film and replaced with Christopher Plummer. The cast and crew were called back to reshoot with director Ridley Scott under the assumption that they all did it for free.
When it was reported that Mark Wahlberg did not reshoot All The Money In The World for free and instead was paid $1.5 million for his services, it started an outcry. It turns out that the reason for Wahlberg’s payout was actually due to a clause in his contract requiring approval for cast changes but that didn’t change the fact that both he and Michelle Williams were both represented by WME. They clearly weren’t as aggressive when negotiating her contract as they were when negotiating his.
On Saturday, Michelle Williams issued a statement to Deadline regarding Mark Wahlberg’s donation.
“Today isn’t about me. My fellow actresses stood by me and stood up for me, my activist friends taught me to use my voice, and the most powerful men in charge, they listened and they acted. If we truly envision an equal world, it takes equal effort and sacrifice. Today is one of the most indelible days of my life because of Mark Wahlberg, WME and a community of women and men who share in this accomplishment. Anthony Rapp, for all the shoulders you stood on, now we stand on yours.”
It was reported that Michelle Williams was paid less than $1,000 to reshoot scenes from All The Money In The World. Despite that huge difference in pay, Williams has been graceful amid all of the outrage. She even made sure to thank Anthony Rapp in her statement. After all, it was his #MeToo story about Kevin Spacey that caused his removal from the film and was the reason for the reshoots in the first place.
When Mark Wahlberg announced on Saturday that he would be donating his entire earnings for the reshoot to #TimesUp, he made it clear that he fully supports the movement. He called the outcry over the All The Money In The World pay disparity an “important topic of conversation” and made it clear that he believes that women should be paid fairly.
Likewise, WME spoke out about the latest Hollywood controversy. They also supported Michelle Williams and made comments about wanting to be a part of the solution to the pay gap problem.
