USA Today reported that Mark Wahlberg worked out a deal that paid him $1.5 million for the reshoot while 5-time Golden Globe nominee Michelle Williams took the legal minimum, making no negotiations. Jessica Chastain says Williams, the film’s top-billed star, made just $80 per day – less than $1000 for the entire reshoot. That means Williams made 0.04 % of what her male co-star made to travel to Italy over Thanksgiving for a last-second reshoot.
However, it appears that Williams didn’t have a problem with the reshoot while Wahlberg did, which sources say this explains the disparity in pay. USA Today reported that Wahlberg refused to shoot and was willing to hold up production until he got paid for having to reshoot with Christopher Plummer. USA Today says Wahlberg had co-star approval in his contract and allegedly refused to approve the casting of Christopher Plummer, who was cast to replace Kevin Spacey following sexual misconduct allegations until he received more money.
A source told USA Today that the actor blatantly said “I will not approve Christopher Plummer unless you pay me” and exploited the situation for further compensation. Another source told USA Today that Wahlberg’s lawyer “formally vetoed the Oscar winner [Plummer] in a letter to financiers until his demand for additional payment was met.” Wahlberg initially took a pay cut to star in the film, receiving 80% of his typical fee, according to The Hollywood Reporter. If true, that means Wahlberg was paid slightly less than his typical $15 million per movie, which further fuelled the negotiation.
The Screen Actors Guild is now investigating whether Ridley Scott’s film All The Money In The World broke any of its contract rules if reports are true that Walhberg received the $1.5 million to reshoot scenes with Christopher Plummer. Director Ridley Scott previously told USA Today that everyone apart from the crew and Plummer had agreed to do the reshoots for “nothing” even though he’d asked the cast and crew to reshoot just weeks before the film’s release date.
Williams has repeatedly backed up this sentiment, stating in multiple interviews while promoting the film that she agreed to do the reshoot for free. The actress said in interviews that she was happy with the film’s proactive stance following the allegations against Kevin Spacey and that the inconvenience of giving up her holiday and working without pay were sacrifices she was willing to make to save the film. Director Ridley Scott also seemed to be under the impression that the stars were not being paid, stating in interviews that Williams and Wahlberg, as well as himself, all took no salary. The $80-a-day Williams reportedly took is the minimum amount a SAG/AFTRA actor must be paid for a day of work in Italy. Although Scott seems to be under the impression that Williams and Wahlberg were willing to do the reshoot without further compensation, reports suggest otherwise.
The disparity in pay between Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams for the reshoot significantly taints Ridley Scott’s attempt to save the film after Spacey allegations threatened its release, adding yet another layer of controversy. The news about Wahlberg’s payday also broke just days after the 75th Golden Globes, where actresses including Williams showed solidarity for the Times Up movement by wearing black and bringing strong female activists as their dates to the event.
Both Williams and Plummer received Golden Globe nominations for their performances while Wahlberg did not. Wahlberg has a reputation for fighting for a hefty salary and was named the highest-paid actor in Hollywood, pulling in about $68 million for the year, according to Forbes. Olivia Munn addressed Wahlberg’s pay for the reshoot at the Critics’ Choice Awards, calling out Hollywood men who haven’t contributed their voice to Time’s Up. #TimesUp is a movement fighting for a woman’s right to work without the threat of sexual harassment or harm, with a focus on fixing the entertainment industry’s persistent gender gap by advocating for gender parity in Hollywood leadership.
Williams brought #MeToo creator Tarana Burke as her date for the Golden Globes in support of Times Up. “I’m so much more interested in what you have to say than what I have to say,” Williams told reporters, and Burke, on the red carpet. Burke launched the #MeToo movement a decade ago to aid underprivileged women of color affected by sexual abuse. Burke told reporters that the solidarity being shown for Time’s Up and #MeToo is something that she’s never seen before.
Another disturbing detail that reinforces the glaring Hollywood gender wage gap as a norm is the fact that both Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams are represented by the William Morris Endeavor agency (with different agents). Williams made herself available for the reshoots, which took place around Thanksgiving and wasn’t interested in making more money.
Although Williams was reportedly unaware that Wahlberg was not working for free when the reshoot began, reports speculate WME would have been aware that Wahlberg negotiated a fee as they represent both Wahlberg and Scott. “I said I’d be wherever they needed me, whenever they needed me,” Williams previously told USA Today. “And they could have my salary, they could have my holiday, whatever they wanted. Because I appreciated so much that they were making this massive effort.”
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