Gabrielle Union is done with the “low-balling.”
The L.A.’s Finest actress spoke on the Sept. 21 episode of 9 to 5ish with theSkimm about how movie studios “screw” Black stars out of big paydays. What’s more, she shared her strategy for avoiding bad offers, explaining that the best way to fight against pay disparity is by joining forces with other stars.
“As Black actresses, there’s almost shame involved, because we get paid so much less,” she said. “When those Forbes lists come out about highest paid actors, you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m a failure… That’s what they’re making? And I’m nowhere close.'”
Gabrielle said actresses get screwed over when they don’t share their salary info with each other.
“They assume, justifiably, rightly so, that none of us are talking,” she went on. “And that’s how they screw each other, because somebody will be the carrot person.”
As she recalled, “Sometimes you don’t even know you’re the carrot person. They’re like, ‘Well, Taraji [P. Henson] closed at—I’m using fictitious numbers—a million. I mean, otherwise, Taraji’s going to take it.’ And you’re like, ‘OK, well, $350,000, I guess.’ And Taraji’s like, ‘Girl, I’ve made, $4 million.’ You’re like, ‘Wait, what?'”
