Jennifer Lawrence
blames bad negotiating for why she made less money than her male co-stars in "American Hustle," but a new report claims the punier paycheck reflected the fewer hours she spent working.
Writing in Lena Dunham's feminist newsletter – a portion of which was posted on
Facebook – Lawrence bemoaned that "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," she writes.
But Mike Fleming, a former Daily Variety writer, claims Lawrence made less because she worked less, saying Christian Bale worked 45 days, Bradley Cooper 46, and Lawrence 19, which is why she got $1 million less than both men.
Fleming wrote on
Deadline that he was told Lawrence was paid $1.25 million upfront, while the men got $2.5 million each.
"Amy Adams got $1.25 million… for working 45 days, so if anyone has a beef, it would be her," he wrote.
"While it's refreshing to see Lawrence put herself out there for a worthy cause, I'm not sure that 'American Hustle' is the movie to use as Exhibit A," Fleming writes.
"Everybody sacrificed to get that movie made; if the actors and director had been greedy and insisted on their usual fees, a worthy film would have died at the negotiating table."
Fleming argues the critically acclaimed movie made Lawrence more popular, and might be the reason she got $20 million to star in the sci-fi adventure "Passengers" while male co-star Chris Pratt is making $5 to $7 million less.
After Lawrence's complaint and those of actress Jessica Chastain, Cooper stood up for the women.
"Usually you don't talk about the financial stuff, you have people. But you know what? It's time to start doing that," Cooper told
Reuters.
Chastain brought up the wage gap last week after her salary for "The Martian" came into question in the
Huffington Post.
The report said her co-star Matt Damon made $25 million for the film, while Chastain only made $7 million.
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