News of Mark Wahlberg taking a $1.5 million paycheck for his reshoots on Ridley Scott‘s All the Money in the World came as a shock to many, especially when his co-star Michelle Williams was only paid 1% of that. Details of the staggering wage gap only got darker when it was reported that Wahlberg would only approve of Christopher Plummer, who was to be Kevin Spacey‘s replacement, if he got paid a large sum of money. It was a polarizing subject, with some saying Wahlberg was greedy, while others criticized Williams for not asking enough. To make matters worse, both are represented by the same agency, WME.
However, in order to quell an already volatile situation, Wahlberg has donated his $1.5 million paycheck to the Time’s Up movement. Plus, Williams has released a statement responding to the donation. More on the story below.
Deadline was the first to report on Wahlberg’s donation.
Here is the statement that Wahlberg issued:
“Over the last few days my reshoot fee for All The Money in the World has become an important topic of conversation. I 100% support the fight for fair pay and I’m donating the $1.5 million to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund in Michelle Williams’ name.”
Following the actor’s generosity, WME, which reps Wahlberg, Williams, and Scott, has also pledged $500,000 in a donation to Time’s Up.
Williams responded to the donation, saying:
“Today isn’t about me. My fellow actresses stood by me and stood up for me, my activist friends taught me to use my voice, and the most powerful men in charge, they listened and they acted. If we truly envision an equal world, it takes equal effort and sacrifice. Today is one of the most indelible days of my life because of Mark Wahlberg, WME and a community of women and men who share in this accomplishment. Anthony Rapp, for all the shoulders you stood on, now we stand on yours.”
While the situation itself doesn’t paint Wahlberg in a pretty light, giving away his $1.5 million paycheck for those reshoots to the Time’s Up movement will definitely help diffuse it. So even though this was the right move, something needs to be done to ensure that this does not happen again.
One thing is for sure if there is yet another report of the shocking wage gap between opposite genders, it will not go unnoticed. So it’s only a matter of time before the industry understands what is needed.
[Source: Deadline (Wahlberg) | Deadline (Williams)
At least we all know Mark Wahlberg is a douchebag now.
Comment by jwhyrock — January 16, 2018 @ 11:07 am