Robin Wright, who stars in the wildly successful Netflix drama House of Cards, recently made news by demanding the same paycheck as her co-star, Kevin Spacey.
As it turns out, the actress’ demands were finally met. She subsequently spoke of the pay inequality in the entertainment industry and how studios capitalize on it.
Wright’s work on House of Cards was as equally influential as Spacey’s character, she said. “You better pay me or I’m going to go public, according to the Huffington Post. Wright continued, “I was like, ‘I want to be paid the same as Kevin.”
On May 17, The Wall Street Journal carefully analyzed 446 elite occupations regarding equal pay. Women earned much less than men, especially in occupations that required extensive qualifications such as medicine and finance. The same goes for Afro-American and Latino women, who are paid much less than their Caucasian and Asian colleagues while performing the same job responsibilities.
Wright plays Claire Underwood on the popular Netflix drama, who is married to Spacey’s President Frank Underwood. Both the President and the First Lady on the show are equally compelling in their roles, as they are conniving in their political and personal pursuits.
Wright further added, “It was a perfect paradigm. There are very few films or TV shows where the male, the patriarch, and the matriarch are equal. And they are in House of Cards.”
While making out well on the deal, Wright’s demands continue to question the ongoing concerns of equal pay for women, and those of different ethnicity.