Actress Charlize Theron decided to take a stand against unequal pay for women in Hollywood, according to leaked documents recently obtained through the Sony hack.
Studio emails from 2013 shed light on the reality that female stars from American Hustle, including Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams, were paid less than male stars of the film.
Lawrence was reportedly paid 7 percent of the movie’s profits, whereas Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, and Jeremy Renner were each paid 9 percent. Theron fought back against the inequality when she demanded she received a sum equivalent to her male counterpart, Chris Hemsworth, in their upcoming film, The Huntsman.
A Hollywood source told Page Six that the A-list actress negotiated her contract through her agents at William Morris and, in the end, struck a $10 million deal, which was the same deal Hemsworth received.
“Charlize insisted that she get paid the same money as Chris. She has a great track record, so she got the same deal,” the source said. Another source said the Sony hack has changed hiring practices for actresses at movie studios. “There will be more sensitivity about equal pay,” they said.
The Huntsman, a prequel to the 2012 Snow White and the Huntsman, which starred Kristen Stewart, is currently in pre-production with an April 2016 release date. Theron and Hemsworth will both reprise their roles as evil queen Ravenna and huntsman Eric for the film.
The deals for the newest film were reportedly handled meticulously, after drama unfolded in 2012, when Kristen Stewart was caught having an affair with director Rupert Sanders.
As a result of the affair, Sanders lost his wife and his shot at directing the sequel, while Stewart went on to star in other films.
Despite the scandal, Snow White and the Huntsman was still a major hit and raked in $396.5 million globally at the box office. Stewart will reportedly not appear in the prequel because “it doesn’t involve her character.”