Taraji Henson exposes pay gap discrimination in Hollywood!
Writing in her upcoming memoir Around the Way Girl, actress Taraji P. Henson revealed some stunning details about her salary for David Fincher’s 2008 magical realist drama The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Henson played Queenie, the adoptive mother of Brad Pitt’s titular character, and scored an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She was also listed as the third principal actor in the movie, after Pitt and Cate Blanchett. However, not only was Henson paid less than 2% of Pitt’s salary, she also had to pay for her own accommodation while the film shot on location. http://screenrant.com/taraji-henson-...utton-pay-gap/
Quote:
“Both Brad and Cate got millions… With bated breath, I sat by the phone for hours, waiting for [my manager] to call and tell me the number that I thought would make me feel good: somewhere in the mid six figures – no doubt a mere percentage of what Brad was bringing home to Angelina and their beautiful babies, but something worthy of a solid up-and-coming actress with a decent amount of critical acclaim for her work. Alas, that request was dead on arrival. ‘I’m sorry, Taraji,’ Vince said quietly when we finally connected. ‘They came in at the lowest of six figures. I convinced them to add in a little more, but that’s as high as they’d go.’
“There was one other thing: I’d have to agree to pay my own location fees while filming in New Orleans, meaning three months of hotel expenses would be coming directly out of my pocket. Insult, meet injury.”
Wtf?
Is that fair or was she adequately compensated for her image at the time? I'm pretty sure she was already a success before Benjamin Button no?
“The math really is pretty simple: there are way more talented black actresses than there are intelligent, meaningful roles for them, and we’re consistently charged with diving for the crumbs of the scraps, lest we starve. This is exactly how a studio can get away with paying the person who’s name is third on the call sheet of a big-budget film less than 2% what it’s paying the person whose name is listed first. I knew the stakes: no matter how talented, no matter how many accolades my prior work had received, if I pushed for more money, I’d be replaced and no one would so much as a blink.”
Brad and Cate are bigger stars and are the main selling point of the movie. I didn't know who Taraji was until Empire. Had she have a bigger role in the movie than Brad and Cate, and was paid 2% of their salaries, then that wouldn't be right.
There was one other thing: I’d have to agree to pay my own location fees while filming in New Orleans, meaning three months of hotel expenses would be coming directly out of my pocket. Insult, meet injury
I was about to say that I feel like she wasn't even in the film as much but that bit truly is f--ked up.
Dont get me wrong, I get her point and I agree. But it always seems cringey whenever big actors/celebs/musicians talk about their abysmal salary when they still have one of the highest paying jobs. Her having to pay for her own accommodations is really tragic though
Brad and Cate are bigger stars and are the main selling point of the movie. I didn't know who Taraji was until Empire. Had she have a bigger role in the movie than Brad and Cate, and was paid 2% of their salaries, then that wouldn't be right.
Brad & Cate would still get more money. That's just how Hollywood works, you get paid according to your starpower. Kinda why Scarlett Johanson gets more money for the Avengers movies than Evans and Hemsworth.
Also mess at some of you acting like she's wrong for expecting more than 100k, by that point (2008) she had been in quite a few high profile films and TV shows
honey don't complain
@ the lower six figures being a disappointment. 
Her having to pay for her own accommodations is really tragic though