It’s been 10 days since Frances McDormand uttered those two words that set Hollywood afire — inclusion rider. And in those 10 days Brie Larson, Michael B. Jordan, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Paul Feig have all pledged to implement the rider in their contracts. It was just reported that WME co-CEO Ari Emanuel sent a company wide memo encouraging all agents and clients to adopt the rider on Tuesday. The day prior Dr. Stacy Smith — one of the architects of the inclusion rider along with Fanshen Cox DiGiovanni and Kalpana Kotogal — was invited to speak at the agency. During the presentation Emmanuel committed to the rider, and then he sent out a company wide email to put it into action.
“In partnership with our clients, we have the opportunity to change Dr. Smith’s statistics, and the way our world is perceived by adopting the rider in all of our contracts,” Emanuel wrote in the memo. “We know that through culture we can break down prejudices, implicit biases, and stereotypes that threaten people’s abilities to succeed.”
Yet, Reed Hastings, the CEO of Netflix, has said that he is not interested in the inclusion riders. “We’re not so big on doing everything through agreements … We’re trying to do things creatively,” he justified.
I really have no idea what it means to try and do things creatively. Does he mean that he believes that we can create a more inclusive film and TV landscape voluntarily or naturally? Because we all know that is a joke and will not happen. We see the stats. We know the needle hasn’t changed for women directors or directors of color in the past 11 years. We know women’s behind-the-scenes progress in TV has plateaued. And we know that women and POC are still underrepresented in every area of the business.
Change won’t happen voluntarily. Change will only happen through deliberate action. And that’s where the inclusion rider and a commitment to pay equity will come in.
Every studio, agency, and streaming service should stand up and lead on this. But Netflix — with its hundred million subscribers, billions of dollars devoted to programming , and reputation for innovation— has a real opportunity to remake the business with its independence — yet there seems to be no interest to do this. Can’t help but wonder what’s going to happen when Shonda Rhimes, who recently signed a deal with the streamer, arrives on campus. Or if Netflix’s apathy about inclusion will affect its current business negotiations with the Obamas.
Netflix also happens to be in the middle of the latest pay equity epic fail. The world found out in the last 48 hours that Claire Foy, who won a Golden Globe for playing Queen Elizabeth on the first two seasons of “The Crown” was paid less that Matt Smith, who portrayed Prince Philip. “Going forward, no one gets paid more than the Queen,” executive producer Suzanne Mackie has said. But how did this happen in the first place?
The rationale is that Smith has previously been the lead on “Doctor Who” and so his quote is higher. The whole quote system is inherently sexist as men are valued higher, have more opportunities, and are in bigger budget fare. What needs to happen in order to rectify the decades on unfair pay is for people to be paid equally for equal work — otherwise women and people of color will continue to be undervalued and underpaid.
This is a crucial moment. The entire industry can be made more inclusive and equitable. Leadership needs to lead.
