While the movement has allowed her push for equal rights in the workplace, the 'Thor: Ragnarok' actress admits she is still left frustrated by Hollywood's continued lack of diversity.
- Jul 1, 2019
AceShowbiz - Tessa Thompson was inspired by the Time's Up movement to push for a better pay deal on her latest movie, "Men in Black International".
The 35-year-old actress shares top billing with her "Thor: Ragnarok" co-star Chris Hemsworth in the sci-fi action blockbuster, so when it came to contract negotiations with studio officials, she felt empowered by her involvement in the 2018 campaign to end sexual misconduct and push for equal rights in the workplace to make her wage demands heard.
"(Time's Up) allowed me to say things I'm not sure I would have said a year ago," she explained to Marie Claire magazine. "The truth is, the system where you assess international value is inherently sexist and racist because we haven't had those opportunities. The only way to disrupt that is to create new models."
Tessa told movie officials that while she was aware of the popularity and fame of Australian hunk Chris, she deserved to get a better deal than what they were offering.
"When we were having the conversation around how we structure our deals, I said, 'I understand who Chris Hemsworth is and who I am not relative to him, globally and otherwise. But in the success of the film, that changes. In success, I want equity. Because then you can't make the same argument,'" she shared.
And when asked if she got what she wanted, Tessa coyly replied: "Let's just say we're all happy."
Elsewhere in the interview, the star shared her frustration with Hollywood's continued lack of diversity, and called for more equality for women of colour.
"When we talk about issues of pay equity, that means something different to Natalie Portman than it does to me," she said. "Women who are not of colour are talking about pay equity with men. (We) are so far away from that."
