Hollywood — Our Most Sexist City

“Poor Ange,” you must be thinking, “She only makes 30 mill a movie.”

While the problems of the rich and the famous often leave us feeling more bitterness than sympathy, the fact of the matter remains that Hollywood’s actresses earn far less than its actors.

This week Forbes Magazine’s list of the top earning male actors was released, and it makes for an interesting comparison to last month’s female list.

Leo DiCaprio came up trumps this year, earning more than $77 million. Johnny Depp took in $50 mill and Will Smith did okay on 36.

Despite the fact that his latest film Larry Crowne was a bit of a bust, Tom Hanks still managed to take home $35 million — that’s $5 million more than the top earning female actors.

Angelina Jolie shared top spot amongst the ladies with Sarah Jessica Parker; both earned around $30 million.

This isn’t just a reactionary feminist rant, the pay gap isn’t only grossly sexist, it’s also illogical.

As we’ve seen in the past 12 months with Sex and the City and Bridesmaids, films starring females are just as capable of bagging big bucks at the box office as any starring males.

Women can be marketed and branded as much, if not more than men, and an entire industry of tabloid magazines and websites exist only to dissect Hollywood actresses’ every move.

The Guardian argues as more women begin starring in action flicks, they’ll be paid more. Probably not as much as Leo, but more than what they’re being paid now.

But why should women have to do what men do, in order to be paid equally? And where are these legitimate female action hero roles coming from?

It seems the wage gap is more ubiquitous than we could’ve ever imagined. No one needs to be paid $77 million for a film, but until we begin consciously supporting films with strong female leads, women will continue to be undervalued in Hollywood.

Contact the author here: brianna@morningquickie.com