Olivia Colman and director Thea Sharrock discussed their latest project Wicked Little Letters in an interview with CNN and the conversation later on led to Pay disparity in Hollywood. In response, the Academy Award winner offered a witty yet straightforward remark that tells us for a fact that the actress has accepted that if she were a man, she would likely earn significantly more.
During CNN’s Amanpour Hour, she states that the men in the industry still use the reasoning that those who draws the audience should be paid more. According to the actress, this hasn’t been true for more than a decade.
Olivia Colman, The Queen
The Crown actress has been in the film industry for over 2 decades and in that span, she has been part of various films and television shows. And since her Channel 4 television days, the actress has been a recipient to major accolades including an Academy Award in 2018 for the film ‘The Favourite’.
Colman played the character of Queen Anne making her one of the eighth actresses in Oscar history to win an award for portraying a monarch. Olivia Colman also starred in the acclaimed Netflix show The Crown in which she played Queen Elizabeth II for which she received the Golden Globe Award and Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress.
Thea was asked about how times have changed from when she used to do Theatre in the UK to now, and whether women are considered ‘big Box Office draws’ to which she says in affirmation that women are considered big box office draws.
Colman also responded to the question quote, “I mean research suggests that they have always been big box office draws but they have chosen to say …”
She added, “Don’t get me started on the pay disparity, but male actors get paid more because they used to say they drew in the audiences, and actually, that hasn’t been true for decades, but they still like to use that as a reason to not pay women as much as their male counterparts.”
“If I was Oliver Colman…”
The Night Manager actress continued, stating that if she were a man, she would be earning a lot more than she is now.
“I’m very aware that if I was Oliver Colman, I’d be earning a **** of a lot more than I am, I know of one pay disparity, which is a 12,000% difference. Do the math, I know.”
Wicked Little Letters
Wicked Little Letters is a British black comedy directed by Thea Sharrock starring Jessie Buckley, and Olivia Colman in the lead. The film, set in 1920s England follows the story of two neighbors Edith Swan and Rose Goodling in the small town of Littlehampton where the residents start receiving a bunch of scandalous letters, a “string of poisonous pen letters”.
The town blames the Irish immigrant Rose for these crimes. Rose, an unmarried mother, and Edith become close friends and later on, Rose is arrested as she becomes the prime suspect of this case.
Colman is one of the many actresses who have spoken out about the pay gap in Hollywood. Previously, Taraji P. Henson also shared about the racial wage gap she has faced numerous times in the industry.
“I’m tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. You get tired. I hear people go, ‘You work a lot.’ Well, I have to. The math ain’t math-ing … Every time I do something and break another glass ceiling, when it’s time to renegotiate I’m at the bottom again like I never did what I just did, and I’m tired.”
