Gender pay gaps in film industry can be down to box-office clout, says Mulligan
GENDER pay gaps in the film industry can be down to box-office clout rather than straightforward sexism, according to Carey Mulligan.
The Oscar-nominated actress admitted that she does not know if she had pay parity with Jake Gyllenhaal, her latest co-star, despite occupying more screen time in Wildlife, their new film.
Gyllenhaal has appeared in bigbudget productions, including The Day After Tomorrow and Prince of Persia, and will play a villain in the forthcoming Spider-man: Far From Home.
Asked on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour if she was paid more than Gyllenhaal because she is on screen much more often, Mulligan said: “I don’t know how much I was paid relative to him. What I would say is that Jake has been in massive blockbuster films and commands millions of pounds. I haven’t made money at the box office. I haven’t made money in China and there is an element of that which does play into it. That said, I have no idea. Probably our pay was fair, but I don’t know. I can’t say that I found out.”
Mulligan’s films include An Education, Shame and The Great Gatsby. She said: “The difference is that Jake got the film green-lit by his involvement.
“Jake has had a mixed career of independent and Hollywood films. I’ve done Gatsby and pretty much everything else has been indie.” Mulligan, 33, said she was reluctant to complain about actors’ pay because “we’re incredibly blessed to be in jobs where we dress up and are paid handsomely to play pretend.
“I want to always make sure this is a wider conversation.”