Evan Rachel Wood is starring alongside Ellen Page in “Into the Forest,” a tale of two sisters facing an apocalyptic event. She’ll also appear in HBO’s upcoming series “Westworld.”
In anticipation of those releases, the actress, best for her roles in Catherine Hardwicke’s “Thirteen,” “Across the Universe,” and “True Blood,” did an interview with Motto, a TIME Magazine offshoot, in which she detailed her experiences with the Hollywood wage gap.
When asked if she’d ever experienced pay disparity, Wood replied, “Oh my God, so many times. I’ve dated and was married to an actor, and there was transparency there in our salaries. It was staggering, the difference. Even with people I feel like I’m on par with, the difference is miles away from each other. There was one specific role that I won’t mention by name, but I was the lead and they wanted me and another actor who didn’t have any credits. There’s me working consistently since I was three or five years old, and I work hard, and yet they weren’t going to give me top billing because I wasn’t a man. I’ve had to start turning down roles because they won’t pay me enough. It’s funny because the people who don’t believe me are usually men and I’m like, ‘What would you know about it?!’”
Wood also addressed the so-called universality of male-centric stories. She explained, “Well the funny thing is, I don’t think people have a problem [with women-centric stories.] I think it’s assumed because it’s a male-driven world and lot of entertainment decisions are made mainly by men. We’re getting better about it but the misconception that if it’s female-driven, you’re gonna alienate people — that does men a disservice because you’re not letting them into that world and to really see women as people …We just have to give people a chance and give these films a chance and let the audience decide. Stop assuming that men are things incapable of empathy. It’s almost insulting to men!”
“Into the Forest” hits theaters on July 29. “Westworld” premieres this October.
