Mark Wahlberg donates $1.5M to Time's Up after pay controversy
Actor paid $1.5M while co-star Michelle Williams reportedly paid less than $1,000 for same work
Mark Wahlberg says he's donating $1.5 million US to Time's Up after controversy erupted over the pay he received for re-shooting scenes in the film All The Money In The World.
Two reports said Wahlberg was paid significantly more than co-star Michelle Williams to return for extra filming after Kevin Spacey was erased from the film. Wahlberg appeared to confirm his pay Saturday in a social media post about the donation.
"Over the last few days, my reshoot fee for All The Money In The World has become an important topic of conversation," he said in a statement posted on Twitter. "I 100% support the fight for fair pay and I'm donating the $1.5M to the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund in Michelle Williams' name."
Time's Up is a newly formed organization backed by hundreds of women in the entertainment industry, including Oprah, Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston. Its legal fund is geared toward helping combat sexual harassment in workplaces across the U.S.
The re-shoots were required after director Ridley Scott inserted Canadian actor Christopher Plummer to replace Spacey, who has been accused of sexual misconduct.
Scott told CBC News during an interview in Los Angeles that the cast —aside from Plummer — didn't get paid for the re-shoots.
"We all came for nothing," he said in December of 2017. "That's how supportive it was."
Jessica Chastain, Diane Kruger and Liam Neeson were among the stars who openly commented about issues of pay disparity after the discrepancy was reported. Neeson told the Associated Press earlier this week "the disparity, sometimes, is (expletive) disgraceful."
Williams released a statement Saturday, saying it was one of the most "indelible" days of her life.
"My fellow actresses stood by me and stood up for me, my activist friends taught me to use my voice, and the most powerful men in charge, they listened and they acted," said Williams. "If we truly envision an equal world, it takes equal effort and sacrifice."
According to several media reports, Wahlberg's talent agency, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, is donating an additional $500,000 to the same cause. WME also represents Williams. CBC News has reached out to the company but has not heard back.
With files from the Associated Press