Hilary Swank was offered just $500k compared to ‘hot’ male actor’s $10 million, even after second Oscar win
Hilary Swank has revealed that shortly after winning her second Best Actress Academy Award she was instantly, and depressingly, reminded of the humungous pay-gap between male and female actors.
Speaking to Chelsea Handler on the Netflix’s ‘Chelsea’, Swank, who won the gong for her performance in 2004’s ‘Million Dollar Baby’ after previously claiming it in 1999 for ‘Boys Don’t Cry’, revealed that she was offered just 5% of her male counterpart, who hadn’t received any critical success for his previous performances.
“Then I win my second Academy Award, and the next couple movies later, I get offered a movie,” Swank explained. “But the male hadn’t had any kind of critical success, but had been in a movie where he was hot. And he got offered $10 million, and I got offered $500,000. That’s the truth. The truth.”
Swank rightfully decided to turn down the offer, and later found out that the part was given to an up and coming actress who was paid just $50,000 for it. Swank added, “So they made a saving of ($450,000), probably to give the guy his bonuses.”
Swank also revealed that she was only paid $3,000 for ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ when she was 24-years-old, which was $2,000 short of her making enough for health insurance.
She found this out the hard way, too, because when she went up to pick a prescription she was told that she’d have to pay $160 rather than it being covered by her insurance.
Swank ended by admitting, “I had an Academy Award, no health insurance.”
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[Images via Warner Bros. Pictures]
