Jennifer Lawrence reveals frustrations over being paid $5 million less than Leonardo DiCaprio for movie

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By Phoebe Egoroff

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Jennifer Lawrence has recently spoken out about politics, motherhood, and Hollywood's gender pay gap in a new Vogue cover interview.

The actress, who graced the cover of Vogue's upcoming October 2022 issue, revealed that she was paid $5 million less than Leonardo DiCaprio for the 2021 movie, Don't Look Up.

The flick follows two scientists, played by Lawrence and DiCaprio, as they desperately try to warn the world of a fast-approaching comet that will destroy all of humanity.

Adam McKay's black comedy, which was released on Netflix, marketed Lawrence and DiCaprio - who are both Oscar winners - as the flick's top actors despite paying the 32-year-old $5 million less than DiCaprio's $30 million, according to a Variety report on actors' earnings.

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Jennifer Lawrence revealed that she earned $5 million less than Leonardo DiCaprio in their movie, Don't Look Up. Credit: BFA / Alamy

In fact, the Independent revealed that Lawrence had previously been vocal in her efforts to push for her name to be top-billed in the promotion of the movie, as her name was the first one down on the set's call sheet.

During her interview with Vogue, Lawrence admitted this vast disparity bothered her, stating: "It doesn't matter how much I do. I'm still not going to get paid as much as that guy, because of my vagina?"

However, the mom-of-one is no stranger to the unfair wage gap -  the actress penned an essay after the salaries of the actors in 2013's American Hustle were leaked. After Sony Pictures' computers were hacked, it was discovered that Lawrence and Amy Adams earned significantly less than Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale.

"When the Sony hack happened and I found out how much less I was being paid than the lucky people with d**ks, I didn't get mad at Sony. I got mad at myself," she wrote in her essay.

"I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early. I didn't want to keep fighting over millions of dollars that, frankly, due to two franchises, I don't need [...] But if I'm honest with myself, I would be lying if I didn't say there was an element of wanting to be liked that influenced my decision to close the deal without a real fight. I didn't want to seem 'difficult' or 'spoiled,'" Lawrence added.

"Could there still be a lingering habit of trying to express our opinions in a certain way that doesn't 'offend' or 'scare' men?" the actress concluded. At the time of the essay and the making of American Hustle, Lawrence and Bale were the only Academy Award winners in the cast.

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Lawrence was paid less than he male counterparts in 2013's American Hustle. Credit: Moviestore Collection Ltd / Alamy

Lawrence also touched on a number of other subjects in her Vogue spread - including the importance of voting in the US's upcoming November mid-terms, and the gross rumor that she allegedly slept with disgraced producer, Harvey Weinstein.

Weinstein produced The Silver Linings Playbook in 2012, and has since been imprisoned for 23 years after being convicted on charges of sexual misconduct, including rape and sexual assault. Hundreds of women, both in and out of the film industry, accused the now-70-year-old of harassment - including Gwyneth Paltrow, Cara Delevingne, and Kate Beckinsale.

Featured image credit: UPI / Alamy