Robin Wright recently opened up about being denied equal pay on the hit Netflix series House of Cards and the reason will likely frustrate a lot of people.
According to Wright, she wasn’t offered the same salary as her co-star Kevin Spacey because she hadn’t won an Academy Award.
Wright, now 59, played Claire Underwood, a central figure in the series from 2013 to 2018. Her character grew to be just as popular and powerful as Spacey’s Frank Underwood, but when she pushed for equal pay, she hit a wall.
Speaking at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, she recalled being told, “We can’t pay you the same as an actor [like Spacey] because you didn’t win an Academy Award.” Spacey had two Oscars under his belt Best Actor for American Beauty and Best Supporting Actor for The Usual Suspects. That, apparently, was used as justification for the salary difference.
Wright said that when she pointed out how her character’s popularity had equaled or even surpassed Spacey’s, the response wasn’t a raise. Instead, she was offered a producer title and a chance to direct. “They said, ‘We will give you three different paycheques.’ I asked, ‘Why not just pay me as an actor?’”
While frustrated, Wright didn’t let anger consume her. “That has been the protocol for years it just is,” she said. “If you ask why a woman doesn’t get paid the same as Will Smith, they’ll say, ‘It’ll increase after you win [an Oscar].’ Nomination, not so much. Why does that even matter for a raise?”
Still, she chose to find something positive in the experience. Becoming a director on House of Cards turned out to be a turning point. “It was the camera operator who said, ‘Why don’t you just try [directing]?’ I didn’t feel any pressure. I was encouraged to do it. I learned so much on that show.”
Wright also credited House of Cards with reviving her career during a period she described as “dry.” In her late 30s and early 40s, the roles had dried up. “That’s when House of Cards came up. It helped me plateau for a while. I don’t know if I would be able to get parts in films at the time.”
When asked about her biggest accomplishments, she pointed to her family. “My children are still alive,” she said with a laugh. But professionally, House of Cards gave her both a challenge and a gift one that came with hard truths about Hollywood’s ongoing gender pay gap.
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