The conversation for equal pay has taken over Hollywood in the last few months in the midst of the Time’s Up movement, and Emilia Clarke is joining in on the discussion.
In an interview for Kering Women in Motion at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday, where her film “Solo: A Star Wars Story” is screening, Clarke said that her starring role on “Game of Thrones” comes with a gender-neutral paycheck.
“On ‘Game of Thrones,’ I have always been paid the same amount as my male co-stars,” the actress said. “It was my first job and I was not discriminated against because I was a woman, in my paycheck.”
She said that recent revelations of pay inequality, like the discovery that Claire Foy was paid less than Matt Smith on “The Crown,” were “shocking, actually shocking.”
“You start to dig deep and see where it is, rife in the industry. So I think it’s mainly in the beginning, just be aware of that and going, ‘Can you just check?,'” she said of handling negotiations. “You just start to fight harder for that stuff.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, Clarke discussed changing directors mid-way through the “Solo” shoot and the final season of “Thrones,” which she is in the middle of filming as the steel-willed Daenerys Targaryen. She confessed that she’s not certain how all the palace intrigue and clashes for the Iron Throne will end.
“It will be what none of us think it will be,” Clarke predicted.
After seven seasons of playing the mother of dragons, Clarke sounded emotional about saying goodbye to the role that made her famous. “It really feels like preparing to leave home…that’s exciting, but it’s sad and scary all at the same time,” she said.
mahollinger on May 16th, 2018 at 00:16 UTC »
As someone who works in the film industry, I always have to remind my friends and family that freakout about equal pay (last time was Wonder Woman, time before was X-Files) that the system of wages and pay is far more complicated than a standard 9-5 job. There are day rates, weekly rates, daily pay bumps, meal penalties, buying out talent from another production, actors negotiating for too much, actors not negotiating at all, agents/managers negotiating on behalf of talent, minor actors negotiated on behalf of parents or guardians, non-union rates vs union rates, etc. It is a jumbled mess at times for our payroll accountants.
It is never as simple as, "I worked this much time and I deserve equal pay for equal time".
masterfulsky on May 15th, 2018 at 20:49 UTC »
She was quite clever in how she answered that “On ‘Game of Thrones,’ I have always been paid the same amount as my male co-stars,” the actress said. “It was my first job and I was not discriminated against because I was a woman, in my paycheck.”
We all know sean bean mark addy and lena headey wouldve been paid far more than the unknowns like clarke when that show started
MrCaul on May 15th, 2018 at 19:57 UTC »
I still think the Smith Foy thing was a bit weird to get up in arms about considering he was well known as she wasn't, but if it worked out well for everyone, who am I to say anything.
Either way, good for Clarke. I imagine she won't have to worry about money for a while.