While Wonder Woman has been almost universally hailed as a feminist fist-pump moment – and enjoyed major success at the box office, too – it seems that even Diana of Themyscira is subject to the gender pay gap. Sigh…
Back in 2014, it was reported that actress Gal Gadot would receive $300,000 (or around £235,000) apiece to appear as Wonder Woman in three DC comicbook adaptations: last year’s Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, her standalone film and the forthcoming ensemble movie, Justice League.
There are a few factors to take into consideration when looking at Gadot’s paycheque. First, there’s the fact that (unless you’re remarkably au fait with the Fast & Furious franchise, in which case, fair play) the actress was largely unknown outside her home country of Israel before her DC casting. Plus, landing a superhero role doesn’t always mean that the star in question will be taking home millions. For his debut outing as Captain America in T_he First Avenger_, Chris Evans was also paid $300,000 (though this salary has risen as Marvel’s Avengers franchise has grown).
When you place Gadot’s Wonder Woman salary against that of her DC colleagues, however, things start to become a lot more depressing. For his first outing as Superman, in 2013’s Man of Steel, Henry Cavill earned $14 million. Eye. Roll.
It’s no secret that Hollywood has a gender pay gap problem: actresses such as Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain, Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman – critically acclaimed stars who are bankable at the box office – have all used their platform to discuss the issue, making headlines by discussing times when their male co-star’s paycheque has vastly outstripped their own.
In this particular case, though, there is a strong chance that things will change. What with Wonder Woman having taken $572 million worldwide to date and a sequel in the works, Gadot will surely be in a far better position to negotiate a salary that takes into account her newly acquired star power…
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