Mark Wahlberg, who recently came under fire for being paid 1,000 times more than his female co-star, Michelle Williams, for movie reshoots, announced that he would donate his $1.5 million pay cheque to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund in Williams’ name.
“Over the last few days my reshoot fee for All the Money in the World has become an important topic of conversation,” Wahlberg tweeted Saturday. “I 100% support the fight for fair pay and I’m donating the $1.5M to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund in Michelle Williams’ name.”
— Mark Wahlberg (@mark_wahlberg) January 13, 2018
USA Today, on Tuesday, had reported that Wahlberg received the hefty paycheck for having to reshoot his scenes in Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World after Kevin Spacey was removed from his leading role in December, amid allegations of sexual misconduct, just weeks before the film premiered.
It was also rumoured that while Scott had initially claimed that the movie’s cast “came in for free” to reshoot the film, Wahlberg had refused to approve the casting of Christopher Plummer as a replacement for Spacey until he was paid over $1 million. Wahlberg’s lawyer vetoed Plummer’s casting in a letter to the film’s financiers, saying the actor would only agree if he were paid the extra money.
Williams, who also had to reshoot her scenes, was reportedly paid only $80 per day for her work, totalling less than $1,000 total.
William Morris Endeavor (WME), the agency which reportedly negotiated the $1.5 million for Wahlberg, and also represents Williams, said in a statement it will donate $500,000 to the Time’s Up fund.
“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,” WME stated.
“In recognition of the pay discrepancy on the All the Money in the World reshoots, WME is donating an additional $500,000 to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund in Michelle Williams’ name, following our $1 million pledge to the organization earlier this month. It’s crucial that this conversation continues within our community and we are committed to being part of the solution.”
Williams later Saturday said in a statement that “today isn’t about me. My fellow actresses stood by me and stood up for me, my activist friends taught me to use my voice, and the most powerful men in charge, they listened and they acted.”
“If we truly envision an equal world, it takes equal effort and sacrifice,” Williams stated. “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,” Williams said, referencing to the actor’s allegations against Spacey, which were published in October and sparked a wave of sexual misconduct accusations that ultimately led to Spacey’s recasting in the film.
Michelle Williams’ reaction to Mark Wahlberg’s donation: pic.twitter.com/iDIzLwangf
— Amy Kaufman (@AmyKinLA) January 14, 2018
The pay gap sparked outrage in Hollywood and different actors expressed their anger over this, prompting this move by the film’s makers and Wahlberg.
In view of Spacey’s replacement, the film was being hailed as a triumph until the news of the pay gap got out.