Shameless actress Emmy Rossum is locked in a pay standoff that is holding up a possible eighth season of the popular Showtime dramedy.
Rossum, who stars as the young Gallagher family matriarch Fiona on the hit series, not only is seeking salary parity with co-star William H. Macy, she is taking the position she should be paid more per-episode than Macy makes after years of earning much less than her co-star.
Macy, who stars as drug and alcohol addict Frank Gallagher, recently renegotiated his deal with producer Warner Bros. Television for the yet-to-be announced eighth season and scored a raise that puts his salary in the upper echelon of cable dramas. Now Rossum is seeking a similar deal — and to make more than Macy. The cast's last renegotiation a few years ago gave raises to all the main members of the ensemble. But Macy always has been paid more than the rest of the cast.
Warner Bros. TV and Showtime declined comment.
It's worth noting that Shameless nearly has killed off Macy's Frank character, most recently wrapping season six with a cliffhanger in which he was thrown over a bridge into the Chicago River. (He survived.) On the flip side, Rossum's Fiona often has been the focal point of the series. Fiona, who is Frank's eldest daughter, is charged with overseeing the Gallagher household and her five siblings. Fiona plays a key role in every episode.
She is amazing on the show and her character is the main protagonist, so she definitely deserves the raise. Frank is just filler at this point, kill it with fire
He was the biggest star on the show from the beginning and it made sense then but now her role has definitely become bigger so why not, anyway my thoughts are they should cancel the show if not now then after season 8,its just lost its spark
don't leave!