Oscar contender All the Money in the World has had a ton of drama associated with it. Following the myriad allegations made against Kevin Spacey, director Ridley Scott decided to do extensive reshoots in order to cut Spacey from his role as J. Paul Getty. Christopher Plummer was cast, and the actors returned to set to reshoot his scenes. But when it was reported that actor Mark Wahlberg was paid $1.5 million to Michelle Williams' $1,000 per diem, the outcry was defeaning. While an official reason was provided, some fans were disappointed that Wahlberg profited from the reshoots. Now it looks like he's trying to mend some fences, as he's donated the entirety of his $1.5 to the #TimesUp legal fund.
This news comes to us from Deadline, which reports that Wahlberg has donated the entirety of his reshoots pay to #TimesUp, a legal fund set up to support victims of sexual harassment in the workplace. He reportedly made the donation in co-star Michelle Williams' name, likely as a gesture of goodwill between the two actors.
Donating the money to #TimesUp seems like an excellent way of squashing the drama surrounding All the Money in the World. The fund made its glittering debut at this year's Golden Globes, where (almost) all the attendees wore all black in solidarity against sexual harassment and gender inequity. Indeed, the All the Money in the World reshoots were also seemingly attempting to do just that as well. Ridley Scott and the studio wanted to send their own message by distancing itself from Kevin Spacey, after he was accused of of sexual misconduct by a bevy of men.
When the reshoots were first announced, Ridley Scott claimed that the actors all returned to the project for free. But then news broke that this was seemingly untrue. Allegedly, while Michelle Williams had reshoots included in her contract, Mark Walhberg's did not. Other stories indicated that Christopher Plummer's casting was used by Wahlberg's team to leverage more money. Regardless, the ultimate result was that his agents negotiated more money for his time and effort. And while this was all perfectly legal, Wahlberg has been in the news since the deal became public.
Unfortunately for everyone involved in All the Money in the World, it appears that all of the scandals may have eclipsed the quality of the film itself. Since each detail and drama has unfolded over time, there's been a ton of breaking stories regarding the crime thriller. Then again, it's still a serious awards season contender. All the Money in the World received three nominations at the 2018 Golden Globes, and it's on many critic's shortlist for Oscar nominations.
It should be interesting to see if the negative press affects its chances at all, and how both the studio and Michelle Williams respond to Mark Wahlberg's donation. Be sure to check back with us at CinemaBlend for updates. And check out our 2018 release list to plan your trips to the movies this year.
