Robin Wright is a badass. She demanded equal pay for her leading role as First Lady Claire Underwood in Netflix’s House of Cards.
In 2014, the Cards star reportedly made $480,000 per episode compared to Kevin Spacey’s $500,000. Spacey plays president Frank Underwood, and the two share the same amount of lines and depth—meaning they should have equal compensation.
“I was looking at the statistics and Claire Underwood’s character was more popular than [Frank’s] for a period of time. So I capitalized on it. I was like, ‘You better pay me or I’m going to go public,'” Wright said in a talk at the Rockefeller Foundation yesterday. “And they did.”
In order to understand how significant that $80,000 was, look at it this way: Spacey earned $6.5 million for season four’s 13 episodes, compared to Wright’s $5.46 million. By those numbers, Wright was only paid for 11 out of 13 episodes.
Regardless of how significant the gap is, it shouldn’t have ever existed. It’s saddening to see such a blatant violation of the Equal Pay Act, and Princess Buttercup surely wouldn’t stand for this. Thankfully, Wright won her case—hopefully sparking other women to fight for what they deserve.
It’s no question that Wright has an enviable salary regardless of the difference in pay. But that doesn’t mean she deserves any less than her male co-star. Also, don’t bother questioning Wright’s motives—she uses her status to help others, not for self-gain. When it comes to civil rights, Wright knows her shit. She’s dedicated her time, talent, and money to help women in the Congo, even donating 100 percent of the proceeds from her sleepwear line to Synergie des Femmes and Action Kivu. Wright’s a philanthropic rockstar, and it’s awesome.
photo of Robin Wright via her Facebook page
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