Robert Downey Jr. once threatened to leave the MCU if his costars were n’t paid better salaries .
Hollywood doesn’t have the best track record in terms of equal pay for actors, especially in regard to gender and racial pay disparities, which still remain pressing issues today. However, many actors and workers in the entertainment industry continue to advocate for better compensation for themselves and their peers. So, here are 11 times actors stood against unfair pay and fought for better salaries for their costars!
1.Chadwick Bosemanused part of his salaryto help his costar Sienna Miller earn the salary she requested for the 2019 action-thriller21 Bridges.
2.David Schwimmeradvocated for equal payfor all his fellow castmates: Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox,Matt LeBlanc, and Lisa Kudrow on the sitcom seriesFriends.
3.Mark Wahlbergdonated his $1.5 million salaryon the reshoots of the 2017 crime thriller,All the Money in the World,to Time’s Up to help honor costarMichelle Williams.
4.Jennifer Lawrenceadvocatedfor equal pay for herself and Amy Adams on the 2013 crime comedyAmerican Hustle.
5.Jessica Chastainfoughtfor her costar Octavia Spencer to earn five times her initial salary and help decrease the pay disparity between white actors and women of color.
6.The Cast ofThis Is Usbanded togetherand negotiated for equal pay for main cast members Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Justin Hartley, Milo Ventimiglia, Chrissy Metz, Susan Kelechi Watson, and Chris Sullivan.
7.Chris Prattadvocatedfor a higher and more equal salary for costar Bryce Dallas Howard in theJurassic Worldfranchise.
8.The original five cast members ofThe Big Bang Theoryeachtook pay cutsso their newly joined Season 3 cast members, Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik, could earn higher salaries.
9.Will Smith helped decrease the pay gap between costars by giving the entire cast ofKing Richardpersonal bonuses.
10.Robert Downey Jr.threatened to leavetheAvengersfranchise and Marvel Cinematic Universe if some of his costars, like Scarlett Johansson and Chris Hemsworth, weren’t given pay raises.
11.Ellen Pompeofoughtfor her costars Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr. to be paid more after earning a huge salary increase herself back in 2017 and 2021 forGrey’s Anatomy.
