Amy Adams has addressed the gender wage gap in Hollywood and says that women need to be valued more in wider society.
The movie industry has been rife with stories about female stars earning less than their male counterparts over the last couple of years, and Adams believes that nothing will progress until the disparity between men and women in society changes.
Back in 2013, Adams admitted that she was aware she was paid significantly less than her two American Hustle co-stars Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale, and now she insists pay will be reflected when women are respected in society.
"The negotiation comes to a standstill and I have to make a choice, which a lot of women do. I can walk away. But I choose not to," she said of picking a role.
"This is an issue not just about women's pay; we need to work on how women are viewed in society and then the pay will be reflected in that.
"Right now time is more important to me. So that's what I negotiate because any time I'm working, I'm not spending with my daughter," the 42-year-old actress told Elle magazine.
Amy Adams says that that women need to be valued more in wider society
Last year, Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence attacked the Hollywood wage gap saying that in the past she worried about being labelled a spoiled brat when negotiating movie deals.
In an essay for the Lenny newsletter produced by writer and director Lena Dunham, the actor said that men do not have that problem.
Lawrence also opened up about the difference in her pay from that of her American Hustle male co-stars, which was leaked to the public during last year's Sony hack.
"When the Sony hack happened and I found out how much less I was being paid than the lucky people with d****, I didn’t get mad at Sony. I got mad at myself. I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early. I didn’t want to keep fighting over millions of dollars that, frankly, due to two franchises, I don’t need," she explains.
So why did she give up? "I would be lying if I didn’t say there was an element of wanting to be liked that influenced my decision to close the deal without a real fight. I didn’t want to seem 'difficult' or 'spoiled,'" she confessed.
"This is an element of my personality that I’ve been working against for years, and based on the statistics, I don’t think I’m the only woman with this issue. Are we socially conditioned to behave this way? ... Could there still be a lingering habit of trying to express our opinions in a certain way that doesn’t 'offend' or 'scare' men?"
"I’m over trying to find the 'adorable' way to state my opinion and still be likable! F--- that," she concludes. "I don’t think I’ve ever worked for a man in charge who spent time contemplating what angle he should use to have his voice heard. It’s just heard. Jeremy Renner, Christian Bale, and Bradley Cooper all fought and succeeded in negotiating powerful deals for themselves. If anything, I’m sure they were commended for being fierce and tactical, while I was busy worrying about coming across as a brat and not getting my fair share."
"Again, this might have NOTHING to do with my vagina, but I wasn’t completely wrong when another leaked Sony email revealed a producer referring to a fellow lead actress in a negotiation as a 'spoiled brat,' " she adds in reference to producer Scott Rudin's emailed comments about Angelina Jolie.
"For some reason, I just can’t picture someone saying that about a man."
Adams is currently on the promotional trail for her new movie, Arrival, in which she stars opposite Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker.
