Jennifer Lawrence reacted to the news her Don’t Look Up co-star Leonardo DiCaprio was making $5 million more than her $25M salary despite her getting top billing in their new film.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, the actress, 31, revealed she received top billing in the all-star film, though later discovered she was still paid millions less than her co-star.
While Lawrence admitted DiCaprio was a bigger draw at the box office, she said questions about pay disparity were dismissed as not being about gender but rather a trait that has never been explained to her.
‘It’s extremely uncomfortable to inquire about equal pay’: Jennifer Lawrence reacted to the news her Don’t Look Up co-star Leonardo DiCaprio was making $5 million more than her $25M salary despite her getting top billing in their new film
When the reporter first mentioned Lawrence’s name appears before everyone else in the opening credits of Don’t Look Up, she flashes a pleased smile and says, ‘I was number one on the call sheet, so…’
Asked if she was ‘okay’ with that, she replied: ‘With being number one on the call sheet? Yeah. And I thought [the credits] should reflect that. Leo was very gracious about it.’
Lawrence and DiCaprio were initially equally billed, but the actress suggested she receive top billing.
‘I think we had something called a Laverne & Shirley, which is this billing they invented where it’s an equal billing. But I guess maybe somewhere down the line, I kicked the stone further, like, ‘What if it wasn’t equal?”
‘I was number one on the call sheet’: Jennifer also revealed she pushed for top billing in the film after initially getting equal billing with the Titanic star
Out of this world: The storyline of the dramatic comedy casts Lawrence alongside DiCaprio as a pair of astronomers on an uphill battle via a media tour to warn people that a deadly comet is hurtling toward the earth
After news broke of DiCaprio and Lawrence’s salary on Don’t Look Up, however, Jennifer admitted in a follow-up with the magazine that it was ‘extremely uncomfortable’ to ask about equal pay.
‘Yeah, I saw that too,’ Lawrence said. ‘Look, Leo brings in more box office than I do. I’m extremely fortunate and happy with my deal. But in other situations, what I have seen— and I’m sure other women in the workforce have seen as well — is that it’s extremely uncomfortable to inquire about equal pay.
‘And if you do question something that appears unequal, you’re told it’s not gender disparity but they can’t tell you what exactly it is.’
The storyline of the dramatic comedy casts Lawrence alongside DiCaprio as a pair of astronomers on an uphill battle via a media tour to warn people that a deadly comet is hurtling toward the earth.
The film, set for release in theaters and Netflix on December 24, boasts an all-star cast including Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Timothee Chalamet, Tyler Perry, and Ariana Grande.
Traumatic: In addition to Don’t Look Up, Jennifer also recalled her near-death experience when she was flying from her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky to New York City by private jet in Summer 2017; pictured 2019
In addition to Don’t Look Up, Jennifer also recalled her near-death experience when she was flying from her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky to New York City by private jet in Summer 2017.
The star, who is expecting her first child with husband of two years art gallery director Cooke Maroney, spoke to Vanity Fair about the experience which saw her praying ‘that she would not lose her hair’ and that her dog would survive.
While conceding: ‘I know, flying private, I deserve to die’, she remembered how the air pressure in the cabin dropped and she discovered one of the plane’s two engines had failed during the flight with her two brothers.
Jennifer insisted she knew she would then die, saying: ‘My skeleton was all that was left in the seat. We were all just going to die. I started leaving little mental voicemails to my family, you know, ‘I’ve had a great life, I’m sorry’.’
Near-death experience: The star, who is expecting her first child with husband of two years art gallery director Cooke Maroney, spoke to Vanity Fair about the experience which saw her praying ‘that she would not lose her hair’ and that her dog would survive; pictured 2019
When asked why she apologised, she explained: ‘I just felt guilty. Everybody was going to be so bummed. And, oh, God, Pippi was on my lap, that was the worst part. Here’s this little thing who didn’t ask to be a part of any of this’.
After seeing the runway packed with emergency services, she went on: ‘I started praying. Not to the specific God I grew up with, because he was terrifying and a very judgmental guy…
‘But I thought, ‘Oh, my God, maybe we’ll survive this? I’ll be a burn victim, this will be painful, but maybe we’ll live. Please, Lord Jesus, let me keep my hair. Wrap me in your hair-loving arms. Please don’t let me go bald’. ‘
She revealed that soon after she was forced to board another plane – with the help of a pill and a strong drink. She added: ‘It made me a lot weaker. Flying is horrific and I have to do it all the time.’
She also spoke of the never-ending trauma surrounding the 2014 iCloud leak that saw her private nude pictures published on the internet.
She said: ‘Anybody can go look at my naked body without my consent, any time of the day. Somebody in France just published them. My trauma will exist forever’.
As well as the trauma of the hack, Jennifer also touched on her name being dragged into Harvey Weinstein’s lawsuit, after the disgraced movie boss took a quote from the star out of context to use in his legal defense against sexual assault claims.
Strike a pose: Lawrence pictured in Hollywood in 2019