Actor Mark Wahlberg has announced that he is donating $1.5 million to the sexual harassment legal fund in fellow actress Michelle Williams’s name amid a brewing controversy over pay disparity.
Wahlberg, 46, attracted criticism after receiving the $1.5 million for reshooting scenes in the upcoming film All The Money in the World, while his co-star Michelle Williams was apparently paid just $1000 for the same work.
Scenes for the film were reshot after director Ridley Scott decided to cut actor Kevin Spacey out the film following a slew of allegations of rape and pedophilia.
“Over the last few days my reshoot fee for All The Money in the World has become an important topic of conversation,” Wahlberg said in a statement. “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.”
This image released by Sony Pictures shows Michelle Williams, left, and Mark Wahlberg in TriStar Pictures’ “All The Money in the World.” (Fabio Lovino/Sony-TriStar Pictures via AP)
(L-R) Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams, and Ridley Scott attend the premiere of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s “All The Money In The World” at Samuel Goldwyn Theater on December 18, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, the talent agency William Morris Endeavor Entertainment has also revealed it will make a $500,000 donation to the fund, having already donated $1 million to the fund earlier this month.
“The current conversation is a reminder that those of us in a position of influence have a responsibility to challenge inequities, including the gender wage gap… It’s crucial that this conversation continues within our community and we are committed to being part of the solution,” the agency said.
The Time’s Up initiative helps pay legal support to women who claim to have been sexually harassed in the workplace.
“If we truly envision an equal world, it takes equal effort and sacrifice,” Williams’ wrote in a statement. “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.”
Rapp, a former Broadway star who also appeared in Star Trek: Discovery, revealed to BuzzFeed last October that Spacey had made a sexual advance on him when he was 14-year-old, leading to a string of other allegations against the House of Cards star.
Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, on Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com.
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