After the Sony hack revealed the ugly truth about unequal pay for women in Hollywood, Charlize Theron is taking a stand. She insisted that she be paid the same as her male co-star Chris Hemsworth in their upcoming movie, “The Huntsman.”
Hollywood sources tell Page Six that standing up for her worth paid off for Theron, who negotiated via her agents at WME. She got a deal worth more than $10 million, the same as Hemsworth.
One source said, “Charlize insisted that she get paid the same money as Chris. She has a great track record, so she got the same deal.” Another insider added: “One knock-on effect from the Sony hacking scandal is that there will be more sensitivity about equal pay for actresses and hiring practices at movie studios.”
“The Huntsman,” a Universal picture, is a prequel to 2012’s “Snow White and the Huntsman,” with Hemsworth and Theron reprising their roles of huntsman Eric and evil queen Ravenna. The film, directed by Frank Darabont, is in pre-production and will be released in April 2016.
The deals were handled carefully because of the drama surrounding the first movie after star Kristen Stewart was caught having an affair with director Rupert Sanders. It resulted in Sanders’ divorce from wife Liberty Ross and his being dropped from directing the sequel. Despite the scandal, the film was a hit, with $396.5 million at the global box office. Stewart is not in the new movie because it doesn’t involve her character.
The salary move comes after hacked Sony emails revealed that the female stars of “American Hustle,” including Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams, earned less than their male co-stars Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper.
A 2013 email from Andrew Gumpert of Columbia Pictures, a Sony subsidiary, to studio chief Amy Pascal revealed Lawrence was paid “7 pts” (7 percent of the movie’s profits) while Cooper, Bale and Jeremy Renner got 9 percent.
Reps for Theron, who is also believed to be getting a fair share of the new movie’s profits, didn’t get back to us.