The fact that actresses sometimes aren't paid the same as their male counterparts is a ridiculous reality that really needs to be addressed. Patricia Arquette and Jennifer Lawrence have brought this discussion to the mainstream, and now Kathleen Turner, an actress who has probably been adversely affected by payment inequality on numerous occasions during her career, has now jumped in and revealed why this monetary indiscretion needs to be corrected immediately.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kathleen Turner explained why gender equality needs to be addressed with the following:
Up until the last 15 years (the studios) felt the majority of money was controlled and spent by men and therefore they would buy more tickets for men’s films. This is no longer true. In the U.S. now, in 40 percent of households, it’s the woman who is the major breadwinner. She controls the money. I think they (the studios) are going to have to adjust to this.
Kathleen Turner was arguably the biggest actress in American cinema during the 1980s. Having risen to fame with her performance in 1981’s Body Heat she truly found acclaim and stardom with 1984’s Romancing The Stone and 1985’s Prizzi’s Honor, both of which landed her the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress.
While her career has somewhat dwindled since the mid 1990s she’s still rightfully regarded as a cinematic treasure. Meaning that when she speaks, people listen. Hopefully her comments will provoke a response from studios in the debate of equal pay for both men and women, and it will help to stop Hollywood studios from living in the past.
This issue, which should be rectified by the Hollywood powers that be, was brought to national attention earlier this year when Patricia Arquette mentioned it in her speech after collecting the Best Supporting Actress award for Boyhood at the Academy Awards in February. Shoot to the 2 minute 50 second mark to hear her impassioned speech on the matter.
Since then Jennifer Lawrence, who, let’s not forget, is the biggest movie star on the planet, wrote a glorious essay detailing her own horrid experiences with pay inequality that really highlighted why something needs to be done.
Not everyone has been so willing to join the debate. Back in October, Kate Winslet was incredibly English about the matter when she admitted that she finds these discussions "vulgar." Of course, Winslet was only speaking about her thoughts on discussing the problem rather than the problem itself, but, nevertheless, she was met with criticism for her comments.
Kate Winslet's remarks may well be true, but that doesn't stop the debate from being integral. If actresses and those affected don't keep bringing the pay equality discussions up, then nothing will be done about it. And that’s not just vulgar, it is also shameful.
