Hollywood is hardly immune to the gender wage gap, and even huge actresses like Jennifer Lawrence have been paid significantly less than their male co-stars despite holding leading roles. Shameless actress Emmy Rossum — who reportedly was paid far less than her co-star William H. Macy, despite having more screen time — fought for equal pay with Macy on the Showtime series, and, as Variety reports, the network obliged. However, new reports state that Rossum doesn't merely want equal pay: she's now fighting for more money than her co-star.
Rossum's demand for more money shouldn't be considered a demand of a spoiled Hollywood actress — something that once-underpaid actress Jennifer Lawrence stated in her Lenny Letter that she feared being called for fighting for more money. According to Variety, Showtime has put the offer of equal pay on the table, but Rossum's team has refused. The reason? The actress doesn't just want equal pay right now — she wants Showtime to make up for all of the time she was underpaid.
I'm very much on Rossum's side for this. Rossum's character Fiona has become more of the show's lead than Macy's Frank, and is a vital part of keeping the show alive. Variety states that the series likely won't continue without Rossum onboard — in fact, Showtime reportedly hasn't even considered continuing the show without her. Rossum helped make Shameless a successful show for seven seasons, and was seriously undervalued during that time — receiving back pay seems like a fair way to finally even the playing field.
Here's hoping that Showtime sees it Rossum's way — and that more actresses feel compelled to fight for equality due to her fight.
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