11 Times Actors Fought For Better Pay For Their Costars

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25-05-2025

Hollywood doesn't have the best track record in terms of equal pay for actors, especially in regard to gender and racial pay disparities, which still remain pressing issues today. However, many actors and workers in the entertainment industry continue to advocate for better compensation for themselves and their peers. So, here are 11 times actors stood against unfair pay and fought for better salaries for their costars!
Chadwick Boseman used part of his salary to help his costar Sienna Miller earn the salary she requested for the 2019 action-thriller 21 Bridges.
In September of 2020, it was revealed that Sienna Miller's 21 Bridges costar, Chadwick Boseman, generously donated a portion of his salary to bridge the pay gap between the two actors. Miller stated that Boseman was able "to get me to the number that I had asked for. He said that that was what I deserved to be paid." Initially, her salary demands were denied, with the studio unwilling to negotiate until Boseman stepped in to help Miller, which she responded to his actions with, 'It's just unfathomable to imagine another man in [Hollywood] behaving that graciously or respectfully."
David Schwimmer advocated for equal pay for all his fellow castmates: Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, and Lisa Kudrow on the sitcom series Friends.
During Season 1 of Friends, each cast member was making roughly $22,000 per episode. Yet, as the popularity of the show took off and the famous Ross and Rachel romance began, the studio wanted to compensate co-stars Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer more than the rest of the cast. However, right before Season 3, Schwimmer suggested that he and his castmates cut their earnings together so each of the six costars would make the same amount of money for their work on Friends.
Mark Wahlberg donated his $1.5 million salary on the reshoots of the 2017 crime thriller, All the Money in the World, to Time's Up to help honor costar Michelle Williams.
In late 2017, it was revealed the Michelle Williams was paid only $1,000 for her work on the reshoots of the film All The Money in the World compared to Mark Wahlberg's earnings of a whopping $1.5 million. Williams went on to speak at the 2019 Capitol Hill event for Equal Pay Day, crediting fellow actor Jessica Chastain for previously speaking up about pay disparity in the industry, which led to her saying, "She wasn't afraid to pick up a megaphone and be heard." After learning of the news, Wahlberg donated his huge salary to the nonprofit organization Time's Up in William's honor.
Jennifer Lawrence advocated for equal pay for herself and Amy Adams on the 2013 crime comedy American Hustle.
After the gender pay was disparity was exposed between herself, her other female costars, and her male costars by Sony on American Hustle, Jennifer Lawrence took a stand and wrote the publicized essay "Why Do I Make Less Than My Male Co-Stars?" She highlighted how she and Amy Adams were paid significantly less than their male counterparts, like Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale, raising awareness on the unequal pay gap for male and female actors. Lawrence has since then inspired various female actors to speak up about the gender pay gap and fight for fair pay compensation.
Jessica Chastain fought for her costar Octavia Spencer to earn five times her initial salary and help decrease the pay disparity between white actors and women of color.
On an upcoming comedy Jessica Chastain was producing, she and Octavia Spencer teamed up to advocate for equal pay for the film. After exchanging stories about the pay disparity between white women and women of color in the entertainment industry, Chastain fought to have her and Spencer earn the same amount for the film. This resulted in a 5x salary increase for both actors, which was revealed at a panel at the Sundance Film Festival by Spencer in 2018. Spencer opened up an important conversation on pay disparity and is grateful to Chastain that 'She is walking the walk." She even hopped onto Twitter to explain, "I should clarify that I am making 5x my salary because Jessica stood with me. I don't know what or if it cost her anything as far as her rate, I just know she stood with me, and I am eternally grateful." In return, Chastain posted, "She had been underpaid for so long. When I discovered that, I realized that I could tie her deal to mine to bring up her quote. Men should start doing this with their female costars."
The Cast of This Is Us banded together and negotiated for equal pay for main cast members Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Justin Hartley, Milo Ventimiglia, Chrissy Metz, Susan Kelechi Watson, and Chris Sullivan.
After noticing pay disparities with fellow cast members during Season 1 of This is Us, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Justin Hartley, Milo Ventimiglia, Chrissy Metz, Susan Kelechi Watson, and Chris Sullivan decided to balance their salaries together in order to obtain pay parity. They've gone on to maintain equal pay for all main cast members since then, even securing seven-figure bonuses for the final season of the hit show. One of the main stars, Mandy Moore, spoke out about the salary negotiations, stating, 'I think when it comes to all things with us, we are not just a group of actors working together, but we regard ourselves as a family. And so in the matters of life, and love, and business, and everything in between, I feel that we were always going to stick together. It wouldn't feel right to do it any other way.'
Chris Pratt advocated for a higher and more equal salary for costar Bryce Dallas Howard in the Jurassic World franchise.
After learning that Bryce Dallas Howard was making significantly less in the Jurassic World franchise than Chris Pratt, he fought for equal pay and negotiated better deals for future films of the popular franchise for Howard. After false reports materialized back in 2018 claiming Howard earned $8 million to Pratt's $10 million for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Howard was quick to point out the error, claiming, "the reports were so interesting because I was paid so much less than the reports even said, so much less." However, concerning the pay gap, Chris Pratt assured Howard she'd be paid fairly, explaining, "We're gonna be paid the same and you don't have to think about this, Bryce," regarding theme park rides and game shares, as well as future installments of the famous franchise.-Variety
The original five cast members of The Big Bang Theory each took pay cuts so their newly joined Season 3 cast members, Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik, could earn higher salaries.
To decrease the pay disparity between The Big Bang Theory original cast members and new cast members Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik, each of the five took $100,000 pay cuts. Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, and Johnny Galecki were each making roughly $1 million an episode, but banded together to ensure their new fellow cast members would have better salaries.
Will Smith helped decrease the pay gap between costars by giving the entire cast of King Richard personal bonuses.
After learning of the 2021 film King Richard's day-and-date release, Will Smith advocated for his fellow costars, giving them each bonuses among other gifts during production. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor spoke out about the alleged payouts for the cast of the film, stating, "He did, but I think what's important to say about that and I think it's important that I say this. That, as I said, after you get the job the fight is not over. You have to fight to be paid and that kind of thing. And I did that job, and I'm thankful for it. But I could have been paid better. And so, I told him this, and he did something about it. And as a result of his doing, his responding to the letter that I wrote to him, not only did he address that with increasing my pay, but the other actors in the movie also. Their pay increased. Which is proof of when Black women do well, everybody does well."-CinemaBlend
Robert Downey Jr. threatened to leave the Avengers franchise and Marvel Cinematic Universe if some of his costars, like Scarlett Johansson and Chris Hemsworth, weren't given pay raises.
In 2013, Robert Downey Jr. became fed up with the pay disparities for his fellow costars in the Avengers franchise, as he was earning millions more than the rest of them and wanted to see his fellow actors earn the pay they deserved. It was reported that Downey made $50 million for one of the newer Avengers films, while Scarlett Johansson only made $20 million. A similar theme followed for Avengers: Age of Ultron, where Robert Downey Jr. was paid $10 million to Scarlett Johansson $1 million, and Chris Hemsworth and Jeremy Renner were paid nearly $3 million. He threatened to step down from the MCU to help fix the huge pay gap between his costars, which is said to have resulted in pay renegotiations and increases for fellow cast members.
Ellen Pompeo fought for her costars Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr. to be paid more after earning a huge salary increase herself back in 2017 and 2021 for Grey's Anatomy.
In late 2017, Ellen Pompeo made a historic salary negotiation for her role as Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy, earning her a whopping $20 million annual salary for season 14. Her negotiations for higher pay inspired other female actors to speak up for better pay and reduce the gender pay gap among costars that she experienced in earlier seasons of Grey's Anatomy with Patrick Dempsey. She spoke on the issue, stating, "Once you get to a certain level, you can advocate for other women on your platform or in your workplace,' she stated. 'If you know that you are getting this much and all the other women are well beneath you, you can't just be OK with that. You really do have a responsibility to look and see what everybody else is making and use your power to say, 'Listen, I appreciate what I got. But I really think that all the women deserve a bump."
Did we miss any celebs who have advocated for equal pay in the industry? Share them in the comments!