Emmy Rossum is taking a major stand against Hollywood’s persistent gender wage gap.
The star of Showtime’s Shameless is currently locked in a salary battle with the network that has resulted in a halt in the show’s production.
Her demand? She wants to be paid the same as her co-star William H. Macy – plus some.
As Variety reports, Rossum, who has starred in the show for seven years, is renegotiating her contract to reflect an equal salary as that of Macy, along with all the dollars she is owed for the years she was paid less than he was.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, a recent raise given to Macy “puts his salary in the upper echelon of cable dramas.”
He has always been the show’s highest paid cast member, despite having less screen time than Rossum. When the show debuted in 2011, Macy was decidedly the show’s biggest name, having already won a handful of Emmys and received two Golden Globe nominations, while the now 30-year-old Rossum was not as well known.
She had, however, already earned a Golden Globe nomination of her own for Phantom of the Opera. But if she wasn’t known then, she definitely is now.
So far, Rossum has reportedly been offered the same salary as Macy but is still waiting for the rest.
Image: ABC News
Sources tell the Reporter that Showtime could renew the show without her or cancel it entirely if she doesn’t close the deal. If she does, producer WBTV will then negotiate with the rest of the cast.
And in case you’re wondering what Macy thinks of the whole situation, in an interview with TMZ, he was adamant that Rossum deserves everything she’s asking for, saying “it’s about f*cking time” that she got equal pay.
“She works as hard as I do… she deserves everything. The only thing I got over Emmy Rossum is I’m better looking,” says Macy.
Rossum isn’t the first famous female to demand wage equality.
In recent years, stars like Jennifer Lawrence, Robin Wright, and Patricia Arquette have been key players in the cause, recognizing that the only hope for change is the instigation of a powerful, impossible-to-ignore dialogue.
Just like countless women everywhere turn to Hollywood’s leading ladies for hair, style and lifestyle inspiration, we should probably follow their lead on this one too.
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