Bradley Cooper is making moves to address Hollywood’s gender pay gap. While gender inequality has been a hot button issue, particularly in the wake of last year’s Sony Hack, Cooper announced last week he is taking a stand. The star told Reuters he will negotiate his pay alongside his female co-stars in all future projects, Glamour reports.
“I don’t know where it’s changing otherwise but that’s something that I could do,” Cooper said. “Usually you don’t talk about the financial stuff, you have people…But you know what? It’s time to start doing that.”
Cooper’s announcement came days after Jennifer Lawrence published an essay in Lena Dunham’s Lenny newsletter on Oct. 13, in which she discussed wage disparities in Hollywood, and blamed herself for failing to negotiate as hard as her male counterparts.
“Jeremy Renner, Christian Bale, and Bradley Cooper all fought and succeeded in negotiating powerful deals for themselves,” she wrote. “If anything, I’m sure they were commended for being fierce and tactical, while I was busy worrying about coming across as a brat and not getting my fair share.”
Deadline reported Sunday Lawrence may have used inaccurate numbers to support her claims she was underpaid, as the actress actually earned half the pay of the man, for a little less than half the work.
The Sony Hack revealed last year that J-Law and Amy Adams were paid significantly less than their male co-stars in American Hustle, and the conversation surrounding gender inequality in Hollywood has been ongoing.
California state Gov. Jerry Brown signed new legislation earlier this month to expand the state’s existing equal pay protections, which could have a major impact on the hiring practices of Hollywood studios.
The newly-enacted Equal Pay Act requires employers to prove a man’s higher pay is not based on gender, but other factors, and will go into effect on Jan. 1.
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