Bradley Cooper Lauds Jennifer Lawrence, Jokes About Love Affair With Amy Schumer
Bradley Cooper is just one of many stars who’ve spoken out to support Jennifer Lawrence in her blunt attack on Hollywood’s gender pay gap.
Though according to ABC News, Cooper admitted he hasn’t yet read her essay, “Why Do I Make Less Than My Co-Stars,” which appeared in Lena Dunham’s newsletter “Lenny” this week, it’s obvious he doesn’t have to.
Gender pay equality, as far as Bradley is concerned, is a no-brainer.
“If you think that you only deserve a certain amount and that’s not correct, it’s about changing that mindset and sticking up for yourself the way. So that’s a great thing.”
Cooper is currently promoting his new film, Burnt, also starring Sienna Miller. But it was another of Bradley’s movies, American Hustle, that turned the spotlight on the salary inequality between female and male actors. And it was that film that Lawrence highlighted in her essay.
It was revealed during the Sony hack last year that Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, and Jeremy Renner were paid millions more than female leads Jennifer and Amy Adams. In her essay, the actress blamed herself and a desire not to act spoiled or bratty for not negotiating better pay.
“I didn’t get mad at Sony,” she wrote. “I got mad at myself. 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. 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.”
And Cooper is sticking beside her.
“There’s a double standard in the whole world, yeah, for sure. This is just one aspect. Anytime there’s a place where a voice can come out and be outspoken — something Sienna did, or Jennifer — that’s great… I think it is making a difference.”
Bradley Cooper’s Burnt co-star, Sienna Miller, has also fallen victim to pay inequality. She backed out of a play “because I was offered less than half of what the other man was offered and it was just the two of us,” E! Online added.
Cooper isn’t the only one to express support for Jennifer. The Guardian reported that actress, feminist, and goodwill ambassador for UN Women, Emma Watson, praised her fellow actress for speaking out on the tough issue.
"I’m over trying to find the “adorable” way to state my opinion".
— Emma Watson (@EmmaWatson) October 13, 2015
O Jennifer Lawrence I love you so. X
— Emma Watson (@EmmaWatson) October 13, 2015
And two other power-house actresses added their voice to the mix — Jessica Chastain, whose has spoken out against the way women are treated in Tinsel Town, and actor/director Elizabeth Banks.
Yessssssss! Get it girl xx https://t.co/L3w0nNnqGQ
— Jessica Chastain (@jes_chastain) October 13, 2015
Chastain had a strong response to Lawrence’s essay during the premiere of her new film, Crimson Peak — both her and co-star Mia Wasikowska praised their fellow actress, Variety added. Jessica slammed the disparity in salary as “unfair” and something that’s been “happening for years and years and years.”
“I’m proud of her. Sometimes when you’re doing well, you’re afraid to say something’s wrong because then there’s going to be a bunch of people out there going ‘OK, well, you’re a big old movie star.’ But it doesn’t matter.”
Mia said she’s surprised it’s still an issue.
Hollywood’s leading ladies have been emboldened lately to speak up not just about unequal pay, but a tradition of harassment from studio executives. Both Ashley Judd and Gwyneth Paltrow have recently shared their experiences.
Add Amy Schumer to that chorus of strong female voices. The comic hosted Saturday Night Live over the weekend and praised Bradley Cooper, not for his support of women in Hollywood, but for his smoking good looks.
So smoking, in fact, that she joked she and Cooper are engaged, Elle reported. Bradley wasn’t surprised to hear the news — what surprised him, apparently, was that Amy chose to announce their pending nuptials without him.
“I thought it was gonna be a secret, but she just decided to let the cat out of the bag… I texted with her after. I was like, ‘That was hilarious.’ “
[Photo Courtesy Andrew H. Walker / Getty Images]
