“It doesn’t matter how much I do. I’m still not going to get paid as much as that guy”
Jennifer Lawrence has expressed her displeasure with the gender pay gap in Hollywood, claiming that she will always be paid less “because of my vagina.”
Speaking to Vogue for their October cover story, the Oscar winner admitted that actors of her caliber are “often” overpaid, but she still finds the disparity “bothersome.”
“It doesn’t matter how much I do. I’m still not going to get paid as much as that guy, because of my vagina?” she said.
Her remarks come after it was revealed that she earned $5 million (£4.4 million) less than Leonardo DiCaprio for the Netflix film Don’t Look Up. The two co-starred in Adam McKay’s 2021 comedy about two scientists who warn the world about an approaching comet that has the potential to wipe out all human life.
Despite being the first name on the production call sheet, Lawrence reportedly earned $25 million (£21.6 million) for the film, compared to DiCaprio’s $30 million (£26 million).
Lawrence also expressed her outrage at the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in an interview with Vogue, while reflecting on the birth of her son.
“I remember a million times thinking about it while I was pregnant,” she said. “Thinking about the things that were happening to my body. And I had a great pregnancy. I had a very fortunate pregnancy. But every single second of my life was different. And it would occur to me sometimes: What if I was forced to do this?”
Lawrence went on to explain how the ruling caused a political schism in her family, which she has been attempting to mend since giving birth. “I just worked so hard in the last five years to forgive my dad and my family and try to understand: It’s different. The information they are getting is different [due to them living in Louisville, Kentucky]. Their life is different.” she said.
“I’ve tried to get over it and I really can’t. I can’t. I’m sorry I’m just unleashing, but I can’t fuck with people who aren’t political anymore. You live in the United States of America. You have to be political. It’s too dire. Politics are killing people.”
“I don’t want to disparage my family, but I know that a lot of people are in a similar position with their families. How could you raise a daughter from birth and believe that she doesn’t deserve equality? How?”
The actress previously stated in 2018 that she had been “certainly mistreated” throughout her career, citing “abusive behavior” from industry executives.