Michelle Williams Opens Up About Defending Equal Pay in Hollywood

In 2018, actress Michelle Williams became one of the prominent voices fighting to close the gender pay gap in the movie-making industry. This was after she was revealed to have made significantly less than Mark Wahlberg for reshoots on All the Money in the World.

“I grew up a lot in that moment because doing anything in public is very difficult for me,” Williams shared in a new interview about that time. “But I felt like I was getting a clear message that I needed to stand up and deliver. I needed to ask myself, can I be a big enough, strong enough, and mature enough person to see the opportunity in front of me and take it?”

Williams explained how she educated herself on the equal-pay movement and, consequently, widened her understanding of money, by speaking to activists and organizations.

“I saw that it’s not just about a strict dollar amount,” she explained. “It’s about self-worth. It’s about establishing a market value for something. And it’s up to all of us to say this is the right amount, the fair amount.”

From here, Williams grew in her own activism by using her moments in the spotlight to bring attention to the glaring issue, as she did in her acceptance speech at the 2019 Emmys.

“The next time a woman, and especially a woman of color … tells you what she needs in order to do her job, listen to her,” she told the audience with her award in hand.

Williams has also visited Capitol Hill, joining Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in support of the Paycheck Fairness Act, as well as continues her part in the fight for equal pay throughout the continuation of her career.

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