‘So many factors determine salary’: Internet left divided as Olivia Colman speaks out against gender pay disparity in Hollywood

Olivia Colman won the Academy Award for her role as Anne, Queen of Great Britain, in the 2018 movie ‘The Favourite’
PUBLISHED MAR 25, 2024
Olivia Colman said she would be paid more if she was 'Oliver Colman' (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Olivia Colman said she would be paid more if she was 'Oliver Colman' (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Olivia Colman opens up about gender pay disparity in Hollywood while admitting that she would be paid more if she were ‘Oliver’ Colman.

During a recent appearance on CNN’s ‘The Amanpour Hour’ with ‘Wicked Little Letters' director Thea Sharrock, Colman shared her grievances regarding the pay disparity in the entertainment industry.

Olivia Colman opens up about pay gap in Hollywood

The 50-year-old actress appeared on the show where she said, “Don’t get me started on the pay disparity, but male actors get paid more because they used to say they drew in the audiences.”

“And actually, that hasn’t been true for decades, but they still like to use that as a reason to not pay women as much as their male counterparts,” added the ‘Wonka’ star, per Variety.

Colman, who won the Academy Award for her role as Anne, Queen of Great Britain, in the 2018 movie ‘The Favourite’, was then asked by the host Christiane Amanpour if she also faced the disparity despite being an Oscar winner.

Olivia Colman attends a photocall following a special screening of
Olivia Colman calls out gender pay disparity in Hollywood (Getty Images)

“I’m very aware that if I was Oliver Colman, I’d be earning a f**k of a lot more than I am,” shared ‘The Crown’ star.

She continued, “I know of one pay disparity, which is a 12,000% difference. Do the maths, I know.”

Olivia Colman has an impressive resume of acting credits apart from an Oscar. She is also the recipient of an Emmy Award for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in the Netflix series ‘The Crown’.

She notably appeared in projects like ‘Fleabag’, ‘The Night Manager’, among others.



 

Not only Colman, but another 'The Crown' star Claire Foy also opened up about gender pay disparity.

When it was reported that Foy was paid less than her 'The Crown' co-star Matt Smith, Foy shared with Entertainment Weekly, "I'm surprised because I'm at the center of it, and anything that I'm at the center of like that is very very odd, and feels very very out of ordinary."

"But I'm not [surprised about the interest in the story] in the sense that it was a female-led drama. I'm not surprised that people saw [the story] and went, 'Oh, that's a bit odd,'" said Foy, per People.

Intenet reacts to Olivia Colman's words

Internet was left divided with her statement as a section of fans supported her in her statement. The other group, however, argued that pay in Hollywood is based not on gender but on the ability to be a crowd-puller.

One of the social media users supported her saying, "Infknfuriating. All women actors who can afford to should loudly boycott making movies until this gets remedied. Easy for me to say!"



 

"She can't prove anything and saying this is wrong. There are so many factors that determine salary," said someone else.



 

"Damm straight," praised someone else.



 

Meanwhile, another user chimed in, "Entertainment is paid for by viewers, not the justice department. You can’t force equal pay in entertainment industry if the objective is to get famous. You can only force fair pay."



 

Someone else praised her saying, "Olivia Colman rocks. Let’s pay an equal wage for men and women. It’s 2024 FFS."



 

Another fan said, "She’s right now pay her what she’s worth. Can’t believe that Skins is how I came to know her 🥹."



 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

MORE STORIES

The post Khloe Kardashian liked featured Charlie Kirk speaking with a fan at an event about his devout Christian faith
Sep 13, 2025
Whitney Cummings sparked widespread outrage after posting a controversial tweet about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk
Sep 13, 2025
Prince Harry was spotted entering King Charles’s London residence, months after saying his father had ignored his calls
Sep 11, 2025
Rosie O'Donnell said Ellen DeGeneres’ friendship denial hurt so much she printed T-shirts for her staff reading, 'I don’t know Rosie, we’re not friends'
Sep 10, 2025
A post alleged that Karoline Leavitt called Patti LaBelle 'just a singer,' leading LaBelle to deliver a seven-word response that froze the studio
Sep 10, 2025
Jennifer Lopez feels free channeling emotions into music, but Ben Affleck is embarrassed and sees it as crossing a line, according to the source
Sep 9, 2025
Howard Stern added that he missed last week’s show due to illness, not contract talks, and addressed rumors of being fired from his own show
Sep 9, 2025
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement in August 2025 triggered a wave of pregnancy chatter after an ultrasound photo went viral
Sep 9, 2025
Ed Sheeran, 34, revealed that he was leaving Suffolk with his wife Cherry Seaborn and their two daughters, Lyra and Jupiter
Sep 9, 2025
From Ice Spice’s chaotic corset to Paris Hilton’s flame dress, see the celebs who landed on the worst-dressed list at the 2025 VMAs
Sep 8, 2025