While promoting his upcoming movie Burnt Tuesday morning, close friend Bradley Cooper learned about the op-ed published in Lena Dunham’s Lenny Letter. While he had yet to read the article titled “Why Do I Make Less Than My Co-Stars” in its entirety, a brief synopsis of the piece immediately intrigued him.
“One thing I could say is that’s interesting because 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 that Sienna did,” he shared with E! News. “So that’s a great thing.”
In her op-ed, Lawrence admitted that she “failed as a negotiator” because she “gave up early.” She also explained that her desire to be liked ultimately inhibited her ability to ask for money in fear that people wouldn’t find her as endearing.
“When the Sony hack happened and I found out how much less I was being paid than the lucky people with dicks, I didn’t get mad at Sony,” the 25-year-old actress wrote while referencing her American Hustle deal. “I got mad at myself.”
As it turns out, Lawrence may not be alone. When Catt Sadler asked about the article Tuesday morning, Sienna Miller shared her own personal story of experiencing a wage gap.
“I walked away from a play that I wanted to do because I was offered less than half of what the other man was offered and it was just the two of us,” she explained before Burnt hits theatres Oct 30. “[I did] what we have to start doing, unfortunately, at the expense of our creative dreams.”
As for Lawrence, she hopes her honest words will bring about a discussion in and around Hollywood.
“I want to be honest and open and, fingers crossed, not piss anyone off,” she wrote. “Based on the statistics, I don’t think I’m the only woman with this issue.”
She continued, “Are we socially conditioned to behave this way? Could there still be a lingering habit of trying to express our opinions in a certain way that doesn’t ‘offend’ or ‘scare’ men?”