CMU School of Drama


Friday, November 04, 2022

Producer Told Sienna Miller to 'F*ck Off' When She Asked to Be Paid the Same As Male Costar

jezebel.com: In a new interview with British Vogue, Sienna Miller, revealed that she was told by an “extremely powerful” producer to “fuck off” when she asked to be paid the same amount of a male counterpart in a New York City play.

18 comments:

Gaby F said...

I’m actually a little disappointed the article didn’t have more substance in it because I am always game for screaming about the wage gap. This is especially true when I got to the very last paragraph of the article. In what world is Harry Styles (as much as the collective loves that man) getting paid more for basically standing in a room than Florence Pugh, who tried so desperately to craft a five-course meal out of lint balls hiding behind that one drawer that is falling apart that everyone has. I understand the problem, I do. I get that cultures don’t change and most of our efforts are futile, but that doesn’t stop me from screaming endlessly about how stupid all of it is. The whole premise of our entire system is to get compensated for our skills and our labor. Right? So then why is that not actually happening?

Angie Zarrilli said...

It is always really important for people of privilege who face a problem to speak up about it in hopes of solving it for those who don’t necessarily have a voice in the issue. I do think it is quite telling though that she never thought to say anything about the issue until it directly affected her but sadly I do believe that is kind of how humans work. It is hard to understand anything until it is tangibly in front of you, affecting you personally. On a similar note, yesterday I was in one of the bathrooms in Purnell when I saw that the tampon/pad dispenser in the bathrooms is always cracked open. It never occurred to me that these have costed money for so many years being behind a barrier of 25 cents. It almost disgusted me to see that they were still held in the same container, just broken open like the school was like “fine you win” when students finally asked for something they can’t control to be free. Students without a period never had to pay for these products.

Alex Reinard said...

I think it's just crazy how explicit the producer was about not raising her pay to a fair rate. Hopefully, now that this problem has come to light, she will see (not just any form of compensation but) a higher pay. It's incredibly disheartening to read about all of these incidents involving unfair pay, but at the same time I think it's important to realize that just seeing the article itself is good - it means that everyone can be informed on this and people will be made aware of the existing problems. It's sad that Miller said she felt "terrible" and "embarrassed" for asking for something she shouldn't even have to ask for. If anything, it should be that producer who feels terrible. At the same time, it must have taken incredible strength for Miller to tell her story to a journalist. I hope that Miller is able to get fair pay in the future.

Rayya Gracy said...

Not surprised to hear that their are still instances of unfair wage gaps between men and woman especially within the entertainment industry. The wage gap is such a ridiculous occurrence within society that bluntly exhibited how ramped misogyny is within our daily lives. This article depicts that no matter how high a woman's status is within their selected industry they will still be given less respect and paid lower than a man despite completing the same task and working the same amount. It recognizes the consistency in which the wage-gap possess from those in a lower paying career versus those in a higher paying career. Demonstrating how deep this issue is within our lives and the premises that simply being a woman is what determines their pay. I do wish this article went more in depth on how the wage-gap effects those with a lesser powerful voice and more commentary on the wage-gap as a whole, but I am glad to see that their is coverage on this issue and to see women speaking out on it.

Sukie Wang said...

Being someone who is interested in going into the costume design industry, I often hear a lot about costume designers not being paid enough while working overtime and sometimes it is hard to hear how other parts of the production team would also be underpaid. It is often believe that actors would be paid the most as they would get a lot of chance to talk about their feelings, actions and their experience in productions where they would be able to more openly talk about issues and problems that they face while other parts of the production team such as lighting designers would get less chance and opportunities to talk about them and lead to more problems and issues. While I love how this article talk about this issue seriously, I wish there are more stories about how audience and other part of the entertainment industry have similar issues across.

Jackson Underwood said...

It’s no secret that the pay gap between men and women prevails to this day. Especially in the performance industry, where pay isn’t regulated and is different for every project, it’s a difficult issue to tackle. Many producers will claim that a woman's pay is lower for any number of reasons other their gender, and ultimately, they aren’t required to release that information. In my opinion, producers should have to release a public breakdown of actor’s pay in order to be held accountable. There’s no real way to measure how hard actors work in comparison to each other, so it makes no sense that actors with similar sized roles would receive different pay. It actually makes me furious that Florence Pugh is rumored to have been paid less than Harry Styles for Don’t Worry Darling because Florence carried that entire movie on her back. Not to mention, Harry should stick to singing.

Kyle Musgrove said...

It is absolutely and utterly ridiculous that this is still a conversation that needs to happen in the modern day. In every single case listed in this article, these women were doing the exact same amount of work, if not more, than their male costars, yet somehow it is justified that they are paid severely less. Sure, this article is pretty much only talking about already wealthy women who have big names so I'm sure some people would say "oh they don't need the money", but the whole point of using these big names and high-profile projects as examples is to show just how prevalent this problem still is to this day. Even the biggest names in Hollywood, women who you'd think would have enough sway to get paid and treated equally, are dragged down by producers who take advantage of the wage gap's continuing presence in the marketplace just to save a few bucks. Hopefully, our generation will finally be the ones to end the whole practice altogether, so people can finally be treated fairly no matter their gender.

Dean Thordarson said...

As much as I am disgusted to read about such vile pay disparities, I am more so sad that I am not really all that surprised to still be seeing things like this. The wage gap has existed, in essence, forever. While progress is being made, little by little, in the current day and age, it is still very much prevalent in today’s society, whether it be a-list actors in films, tv, and stage plays and musicals, or a profession completely unrelated to the entertainment industry whatsoever, it most certainly still exists. This specific story though, stands out more than the rest. The audacity that the producer had to communicate with Sienna Miller like that, again, be she famous or not, is truly astounding. That producer is utterly careless and non-sympathetic. I am truly disgusted and disappointed by the way some high up people act, and just when you think you’ve heard it all, you get another story like this one. Truly the definition of disappointing.

Ellie Yonchak said...

I am so utterly unsurprised about this story that it saddens me. I feel that every few months, we hear a story about some talented woman being paid less than Average Joe, get outraged for a few days, and then things remain the same. I am glad now that more and more women and men feel comfortable talking about salaries and advocating for the same salary, but it’s so frustrating that there has been so little done to initiate systemic change. Again, this is unsurprising, but still disappointing. I know that to create change takes a lot, and it is these little things that can help to chip away at the surface, but I’m impatient. How am I supposed to be a trophy wife to my future wife if she gets paid less than the guy who works with her? All jokes (and wishing) aside, this is a problem that needs to be addressed a lot more. I think that talking salary should not be as stigmatized. That way you know how much everybody’s getting paid, like in that one heist movie where they pretend to be a family that I’m forgetting the name of.

TJ said...

This is just one more example on top of the thousands of examples of how people are being severely mistreated in the entertainment industry. Each time I start to think we've started to make progress, another disappointing story breaks that sets us back another 50 years or so. However, I am not surprised in the slightest that this is still happening. While it is saddening and I would hope that things would be getting better, I know that we will have to fight a lot more before the entertainment industry (and the rest of the world in general) become more equitable to everyone. I would have hoped that being so outright in their sexism would have been less acceptable for a producer to do but even this does not surprise me. Hopefully, in the future this will be seen as unacceptable behavior as more stories like this get reported on and not just ignored.

Brooke "B" Hanser said...

It's astonishing that women still have to open the conversations for themselves to get paid equally to those around them, especially in a field that is Pride in itself on being inclusive as of late. It's also so upsetting to have the reminder that people feel ashamed or embarrassed to ask to be fairly paid as it should be a given for our society; however, it is not. Additionally, I cannot believe a person of such power decides that means they are allowed to speak down to their employees going so far as to tell them to fuck off is ridiculous. I hope this article and situation gain some traction and that better employers grant this actress higher pay. I wonder if there is a way for rules to be implemented that gender not be a dividing line for payment. Not only is it about fairness, but women also have to deal with the pink tax as is.

CrimsonCreek said...

This article gives a very telling view on how women in the industry are treated, by all kinds of people. It’s disheartening to read of a woman being mistreated by her producer when simply asking that she be compensated fairly for her work, by her male producer no less. The gender wage gap is an incredibly pressing matter in the industry that must be addressed. And the idea that somehow coming from a wealthy background shields you from gender based discrimination, as the author implies, is not substantiated in any way. Gender based discrimination knows no ends and only gets progressively worse as you make your way into higher planes. Women of all statuses face discrimination based on their gender, but the stakes can appear much higher when you have a public image that needs protecting and more money becomes involved. Working to end this inequity for all women can ensure a safer and more welcoming environment for all.

Maureen Pace said...

Wishing I could say this surprised me. And, the main thing I could think about while reading this article: this is a wealthy white woman with a platform and fame. She is privlidged and we cannot ignore that. And yet, this is a disgusting example of the wage gap issues that have never gone away - this isn’t new. It is so hard for me to wrap my head around the idea of telling someone to “fuck off” when they ask for fair wages. If you somehow have a reason for not paying them the same, at the very VERY least you can treat the conversation, and the human being in front of you, with a shred of respect. The ego you have to have to say that response… despicable. Get these producers an ego check, please. This is an example that came to light because Miller said something. Again, she has privilege. Thinking about the number of people who have experienced this, or far worse, and cannot speak out about it.

Sophie Rodriguez said...

This article was unsurprising. I feel like I hear the same story over and over of women asking to be paid as much as their male co-stars, and almost each one ends the same way, without a raise. I think the surprising part is that even some of the most famous women that are actresses still deal with this. I remember Jennifer Lawrence dealing with the same issue even after becoming one of the most famous actresses in the past decade – and even she was dealing with this issue and did choose to go public with it and became transparent about these issues. I also feel like the only time that I see resolutions to this is when the male costars choose to speak up or take a pay cut. I just don’t understand why it is so difficult for this industry and the film industry to just pay people fairly… It seems like such a simple thing, yet no one is surprised.

Gabby Harper said...

Oh boy, no surprise here that the wage gap is still live and well. Also, the producer’s response to her asking more money was just ick. I wish she felt comfortable naming the producer, some might question whether they are worth working with. Especially if that is how they’re going to behave. Also, outing wouldn’t be mean, and I find it frustrating that people consider it mean. I wish there was a little more substance to the article, but it got straight to the point. The tidbit listing other discrepancies from the past few years was enlightening. Matt Smith making more than Claire Foy blew my mind. Don’t get me wrong, I love both of their work, but Claire Foy played the queen on The Crown, how does that even make sense. Looks like for now we’re going to just continue talking about the wage gap, I just hope more is done to help remedy it.

Sydney de Haan said...

Ok this is just irritating. This industry is already a pain to work in because of its inconsistency but also this discrimination. I believe that actors should be paid by the role depending on how long there commitment to the project will be. For example a mega actor who makes a cameo for 2 min should not be making significantly more than the lead of the entire movie (cough cough marvel). Also the gender gap needs to stop. Female actors are putting in just as much if not more effort than there male counter parts and should be recognized for the work they put into the project. I wish that this article would have gone into more of why there is such a pay gap. I would also be interested to learn about different studios who are striving to end this pay gap. I think that this needs to be adresses soon and those who are experiencing this discrimination need to continue to speak up.

Victor Gutierrez said...

The wage gap is such a problem in Hollywood and it’s so upsetting when woman are getting that top billing and clearly valued but aren’t being paid their worth. This article references Bryce Dallas Howard, although I don’t know what her being a nepotism baby has to do with anything, and Chris Pratt, but I think a better example would be the Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence space movie they did. That was a movie marketed as this costar film. Both of them were receiving top billing and were on the posters equally. That was a pretty clear example of a situation where both stars were being valued the same and should have been taking home the same sized check. However, there are situations where it makes sense for the lead role to get a fatter check. Whether that’s 21 Bridges, which a six second google search shows Boseman was the star and main character while Miller was a supporting role, or something like Grey’s Anatomy where Ellen Pompeo is being paid buckets of money more than her costars because that show is still on because of her. It is so infuriating if Claire Foy or Florence Pugh aren’t getting paid at least the same as their costars, but this article doesn’t even mention the project that Miller was talking about so we have no context to compare her to her male counterpart.

Cyril Neff said...

I wish there was more to this article, because there is always an open dialogue, especially in politics, about the wage gap and its pertenence in today’s society. The wage gap as a discussion point is such an important topic because the disproportionate payment between gender identities is still a problem a lot of people suffer from today, and a concerningly large group of people genuinely think the gap does not exist at all, despite decades of evidence readily available to them, and it is incredibly frustrating to talk about. At the end of the day, it is unlikely that change will come anytime soon, because, at the end of the day, a lot of people choose to ignore it, especially, you guessed it, men. As an AFAB Non-Binary person, I have been in the workforce for over 2 years now, and I have had female co-workers deliberately point out the wage gap at my old restaurant job, and have had male co-workers outright deny that the discrepancy existed because “one of the main chefs is a women, so clearly you guys can get paid better if you just work harder”. It is incredibly exhausting to have to continue the dialogue about the wage gap when the other party actively chooses to deny the existence of a gap existing in the first place.