‘Hunger Games’ Star Jennifer Lawrence Gets Paid Double What Her Male Costars Make

Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence is making waves in the Hollywood equal pay movement. The top Hollywood actress has been outspoken about unequal pay in the acting business and now it seems as though her actions are being rewarded.

Lawrence’s influence on the problem of unequal pay began when she fist learned that her male co-stars in American Hustle received a paycheck that was bigger than her own. She learned of this through leaked emails from Sony. In fact, all the women who starred in the Academy Award-winning film were paid seven percent of the movie’s earnings, while the director, David O. Russell, along with the three male stars, Bradly Cooper, Christian Bale, and Jeremy Renner, were given nine percent.

Ever since she learned of this gap in payment, Lawrence, who plays Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games movies, has been an advocate for equal pay for both women and men in Hollywood. Her activity, along with the news of the unique pay, has caused a few other actresses to join her in standing up against unequal pay. One of those actresses was Charlize Theron, who asked to receive an equal amount of money as Chris Hemsworth in Snow White And The Huntsman.

“If you’re doing the same job, you should be compensated and treated in the same way,” Theron related to Elle magazine.

It now seems as though Lawrence’s efforts have paid off. According to the Daily Mail, Lawrence is slated to earn around double the amount of money that her male counterpart, Chris Pratt, will earn in the upcoming film Passengers. The film centers around a space voyage romance and is produced by Sony. Pratt is expected to be paid a base pay of $10 million for his appearance in the film.

That indicates that Lawrence now has a new fee of $20 million a role. This increase in payment is a far cry from her first film, Winter’s Bone, where she was pulling down $3,000 a week, and the $1 million she received for the first time she played Katniss. Lawrence was paid $10 million for the sequel, Catching Fire, and she earned $15 million for each of the final two films of the hit franchise.

Although she may have started off small, Lawrence is now reaping the benefits of her A-list status among the best Hollywood has to offer. From her role in the Hunger Games to American Hustle, it appears as though Lawrence might not have to worry about getting underpaid any time in the immediate future.

[Image courtesy of Mike Copolla/Getty Images]