Wahlberg Donates $1.5 Million After Pay Gap Outcry

FILE - This image from Sony Pictures shows Michelle Williams, left, and Mark Wahlberg in "All The Money in the World." After an outcry over a significant disparity in pay with Williams, Wahlberg has agreed to donate the $1.5 million he earned for reshoots on the movie to the anti-sexual misconduct initiative Time’s Up, in Williams' name.

NEW YORK — 

Following an outcry over a significant disparity in pay between co-stars, Mark Wahlberg agreed Saturday to donate the $1.5 million he earned for reshoots for All the Money in the World to the sexual misconduct defense initiative Time’s Up.

Wahlberg said he’ll donate the money in the name of his co-star, Michelle Williams, who reportedly made less than $1,000 on the reshoots.

“I 100% support the fight for fair pay,” Wahlberg said in a statement.

Williams issued a statement Saturday, saying: “Today isn’t about me. My fellow actresses stood by me and stood up for me, my activist friends taught me to use my voice, and the most powerful men in charge, they listened and they acted.”

She noted that “it takes equal effort and sacrifice” to make a film.

“Today is one of the most indelible days of my life because of Mark Wahlberg, WME (William Morris Endeavor) and a community of women and men who share in this accomplishment.”

The announcement Saturday came after directors and stars, including Jessica Chastain and Judd Apatow, shared their shock at reports of the huge pay disparity for the Ridley Scott film. The 10 days of reshoots were necessary after Kevin Spacey was replaced by Christopher Plummer when accusations of sexual misconduct surfaced against Spacey. USA Today reported Williams was paid less than $1,000 for the 10 days.

Both Williams and Plummer were nominated for Golden Globes for their performances.

Talent agency William Morris Endeavor, which represents both Williams and Wahlberg, said it will donate an additional $500,000 to Time’s Up. The agency said in a statement that wage disparity conversations should continue and “we are committed to being part of the solution.”

Michelle Williams’ & Mark Wahlberg’s ‘All The Money In The World’ Salaries Were Wildly Different

Mark Wahlberg was paid $1.5 million for reshooting his scenes in All the Money in the World, three people familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly about it tell USA TODAY, while Michelle Williams was paid an $80 per diem totaling less than $1,000. 

That works out to Williams being paid less than 1% of her male co-star.

Ridley Scott’s Getty kidnapping drama was hastily reshot the week of Thanksgiving after a cascade of sexual misconduct allegations were made public against Kevin Spacey, who previously starred in the drama as billionaire J. Paul Getty.

Scott transfixed the film world by quickly assembling his actors over the holiday break in Europe, reshooting Spacey’s scenes with Christopher Plummer — and still making his Christmas release window.  

The wave of publicity that followed made All the Money in the World, distributed by Sony and financed by Imperative Entertainment, roll into the Sunday’s Golden Globes as a relative triumph.

But new information reveals ugly math behind the Hollywood victory. The reshoot cost $10 million (a fee put up by producing arm Imperative). In December, Scott told USA TODAY that the undertaking was aided by the fact that "everyone did it for nothing.”

The exchange went as follows:

RIDLEY SCOTT: “The whole reshoot was — in normal terms was expensive but not as expensive as you think. Because all of them, everyone did it for nothing.”

USA TODAY: “Really?”

SCOTT: “No, I wouldn’t get paid, I refused to get paid.”

USA TODAY: “You didn’t pay the actors more to do it?”

SCOTT: “No, they all came in free. Christopher had to get paid. But Michelle, no. Me, no. I wouldn’t do that to — ”

USA TODAY: “The crew, of course, did get paid?”

SCOTT: “Of course. "

USA TODAY has since learned Wahlberg's team actually negotiated a hefty fee, with the actor paid $1.5 million for his reshoots. Williams wasn't told. 

Wahlberg and Williams are both represented by the William Morris Endeavor agency.  Actors pay a team of agents, managers and lawyers an average of 10% of their salaries to advocate for them.

Representatives for Wahlberg, Williams, WME, Sony, Imperative Entertainment and Scott did not respond to USA TODAY's requests for comment.  

In August, Forbes named Wahlberg the highest-paid actor of the year, calculating his pretax and pre-fee earnings at $68 million. The Washington Post first reported Wahlberg's reshoot fee, noting that the actor “along with manager Stephen Levinson and agency WME, have a reputation in Hollywood for driving a tough bargain.” 

Williams previously told USA TODAY that when Scott's team called to request her time for the reshoot, "I said I'd be wherever they needed me, whenever they needed me. And they could have my salary, they could have my holiday, whatever they wanted. Because I appreciated so much that they were making this massive effort."

All the Money in the World has lagged at the box office, this past weekend coming in 10th place. The drama has grossed $20.2 million since its release two weeks ago.

The pay disparity arrives as the entertainment industry continues to be rocked by the downfall of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, a flood of sexual misconduct allegations against dozens of other powerful Hollywood figures and a rising #MeToo movement.

Two days ago at the Golden Globes, male and female stars wore black in solidaritywith the newly-established Time's Up initiative, which pushes for protection for victims of sexual harassment and gender equality.

Williams, Globe-nominated for her role in All the Money in the World, was one of them. 

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