Hollywood's lack of diversity needs to change after an article detailing movie stars' salaries included just a handful of women, an expert tells Newsweek.
Variety published a list of 26 actors and actresses and what they have earned for recent and upcoming films. Out of those 26, only five were women—Margot Robbie, Millie Bobby Brown, Emily Blunt, Jamie Lee Curtis and Anya Taylor-Joy. Interestingly, Curtis is the only American woman. Although Taylor-Joy was born in Miami, she was raised in Argentina before moving to London.
Tom Nunan, Continuing Lecturer at UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television says it's "wrong" and "stupid" that the list is "so utterly stacked in favor of men."
"No audience wants to be served up the same old/same old, over and over again," Nunan explains. "Wonder Woman, Black Widow, Captain Marvel and The Old Guard all prove that women can and do open major, blockbuster franchises."
Not only were women underrepresented in the report, they were also in the bottom percentile when it comes to how much they earn. Tom Cruise was reportedly paid a whopping $100 million for his role as Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in Top Gun: Maverick, while Will Smith is raking in $35 million for Emancipation. Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt are each making $30 million for Killers of the Flower Moon and a Formula 1 drama respectively.
In contrast, Curtis earned $3.5 million for Halloween Ends and Taylor-Joy $1.8 million for Furiosa.
"What this list obscures is the number of truly successful, wealthy and powerful women working in entertainment who are commanding gargantuan salaries year in and year out, versus simply a movie fee once every five years or so," Nunan says.
The film/TV producer of Oscar-winning content pointed out that Reese Witherspoon and her partners at Hello Sunshine recently sold a majority interest in their company for approximately $900 million.
"Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock, Mariska Hargitay, Ellen Pompeo and other leading women who straddle both TV and film routinely pull in between $25 million to $50 million a year," he said.
"Top earners in movies gives one a view of one part of industry dominance by men," he argued. "It doesn't even come close to telling the entire entertainment salary story."
As for whether audiences can expect to see more diversity in the future, the former network and studio president predicts the industry is "slow-moving toward any kind of change."
However, stars may soon see a difference when it comes to their wages.
"The good times may not last," the Variety article says. "There's a nagging sense that as the country braces for recession and media companies see their stock prices plunge, stars could start to feel the pinch."
Update, 7/25/22, 9:22 a.m. EDT: This article has been updated to change Tom Nunan's job title to Continuing Lecturer at UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Megan Cartwright is Newsweek's Deputy Entertainment Editor, based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. pop culture and entertainment ... Read more
