Jennifer Lawrence has revealed that her first project during her ‘gap year’ from acting will be behind the camera – as she executive produces a new documentary series exploring the Hollywood pay gap.
Speaking to The Wing, the Oscar-winner said: ‘I would like to direct one day. I think it's important to start getting behind the camera, producing, so I can have more control over who gets hired and make sure I can be a part of it, and make sure there's diversity on all our films. I'm going to be EPing a show with Catt Sadler, actually, which I wasn't supposed to announce, but I am.’
Sadler, a former E! News host, left the network after discovering that her male colleague was getting paid considerably more money than her for the same amount of work. Lawrence spoke out about Sadler’s situation at the time, throwing her support behind the TV presenter on her official Facebook page writing: ‘Thank you Catt for sharing your story.’ Other A-listers including Eva Longoria, Olivia Munn and Debra Messing were also vocal in their support of Sadler.
The feeling of admiration between Lawrence and Sadler is certainly mutual, with the former E! star telling The Hollywood Reporter in January: ‘Jennifer Lawrence has become a friend of mine — really, a hero of mine. Long before my own experiences, her voice has been an empowering one and one I’ve always admired. To have her in my corner is hard to put into words, to be honest.’
While very little is known about the documentary at the moment, we can be sure it’ll lift the lid on the all-pervasive discrepancy between the sexes within the film industry in terms of pay. One of the most recent examples was that of Michelle Williams, who was paid $1 million less than her co-star Mark Wahlberg for reshoots of All The Money In The World. He has since donated his wages to #TimesUp in Williams’ name.