Elizabeth Olsen Says She Is Not Paid As Much As 'Avengers' Co-Stars
"Avengers" star Elizabeth Olsen has weighed in on the Hollywood gender pay gap. The 28-year old actress has admitted she does not believe she is paid the same as her co-stars because she does not know "how to value herself."
The Hollywood gender pay gap has been a hot issue among actors, unions, and film fans. While Olsen's statement is aimed at the film industry, her sentiments resonate with many women who actively participate in the workforce.
Speaking to the Telegraph about her experience working in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Olsen said that while she didn't know how much her co-stars such as Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo were making, she knows she earned less than them.
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Olsen added that figuring out her worth as a smaller-name actress in a male-dominated franchise that is the MCU has proven quite a challenge. "I don't know how much weight I carry, I don't know how to value myself," she said.
Olsen plays the character Scarlet Witch in the franchise and has appeared in a number of films including the second "Avenger" film. However, compared to Downey's Iron Man and Chris Hemsworth's Thor, her character is relatively new to the franchise which could explain the disparity in earnings.
Nevertheless, the difference between the earnings of the highest paid actors and actresses is still a major issue in Hollywood. This was exposed by Forbes back in August revealing 14 Hollywood actors that are earning more than the highest paid actress.
One example is Mark Wahlberg who topped the list of the highest paid actors of 2017 with $68 million in earnings. Compared with the top paid actress, Oscar-winning "La La Land" star Emma Stone, who earned just $26 million and the huge difference is very clear: a whopping $42 million.
Of course there will always be factors that affect earnings in the entertainment industry and huge salary differences. The stars of "Game of Thrones" for example, namely Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Kit Harington, and Emilia Clarke all took home half a million dollars per episode each regardless of gender.
