Amy Adams has spoken out about the “American Hustle” pay gap scandal in an interview with British GQ magazine. The five-time Oscar nominee has revealed that she was aware that she was being paid less than her male co-stars, but felt forced to accept the pay cut to get the role.
“I still agreed to do it because the option comes down to do it or don’t do it. So you just have to decide if it’s worth it for you,” explained Adams. “It doesn’t mean I liked it.”
She also expressed how “proud” she was of co-star Jennifer Lawrence for tackling the issue in a forthright think piece for Lena Dunham’s Lenny Letter. “What I liked is that it was not necessarily about getting paid, or not getting paid,” said Adams of Lawrence’s essay. “It’s like we [women] have been conditioned to not be controversial, to not cause problems. It’s about finding your voice.”
By all accounts, “American Hustle” seems to have been a nightmarish production from start to finish for Adams, so it’s no wonder that she herself now seems to be finding her voice on the subject. Not only did she express her anger at the unequal pay, but also revealed that director David O. Russell actually made her cry “most” days on set. “It really taught me how to separate work and home,” was her damning assessment of her time working with the director, “Because I was like, I cannot bring this experience home with me to my daughter.”
[Via GQ and The Hollywood Reporter]
