You probably already heard the story: once Kevin Spacey's predatory behavior toward a 14-year-old came to light, Ridley Scott pulled him from All The Money In The World and brought Christopher Plummer on board, which meant the entire crew had to return for additional filming. That included Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams. And then the headlines exploded.
Holy smokes. Yet another instance of Hollywood's blatant gender pay inequity, where the industry crushes women under the heel of male dominance. WHAT AN OUTRAGEOUS PAY DISPARITY—oh, actually, hold on:
That entire paragraph got yanked from the original piece this morning because, naturally, it ruined the narrative. Removing it fuels much better indignation. Seems like Michelle Williams could really use some sharper representation. Then again, maybe she doesn't—because in the corporate world, it's common knowledge that when you secure your own compensation, you're effectively bargaining for your entire team. That's just basic business. The moment you score a salary bump or bonus by pushing for it, everyone benefits too, because that's how fairness operates. Happens constantly. Oddly absent in Tinseltown, even though it's a business like any other. Oh, and there's also, um, this little detail (via USA Today):
In essence, Mark Wahlberg valued his hours at $1.5 million while Michelle Williams undervalued hers out of sheer devotion to Ridley Scott. Wonderful. I'm certain Scott is dying to collaborate with her down the road. But if I could offer Michelle Williams any counsel, it would be this: the moment has finally arrived for you to rise. Everyone else had you running on fumes but I refuse to back down. Over beats and bars crafted to get your body swaying to what I'm all about—pure hip hop, zero compromise. If you didn't show up to dominate, then bounce.
