Michelle Williams Calls For Pay Equality In Her Emmys Acceptance Speech

In her acceptance speech for the Lead Actress in a Limited Series Emmy for FX drama Fosse/Verdon, Michelle Williams talked the importance of pay equality and women feeling supported on set.

Williams portrayed Gwen Verdon, a dancer and Broadway icon who was married to famed choreographer and director Bob Fosse (played by Emmy nominee Sam Rockwell in the series.) Williams revealed that the production was quick to give her the tools she needed in order to successfully portray the character, from extra dance and vocal lessons to “a pair of fake teeth not made of rubber.” She also shared that the job paid her equally to her male co-star, something she implored the industry to take note of. 

“Thank you so much for FX and Fox21 studios for supporting me completely and for paying me equally, because they understood that when you put value into a person, it empowers that person to get in touch with their own inherent value. And where do they put that value? They put it into their work,” Williams said in her acceptance speech. “So the next time a woman, and especially a woman of color because she stands to make 52 cents on the dollar compared to her white male counterpart, tells you what she needs in order to do her job, listen to her. Believe her, because one day she might stand in front of you and say ‘thank you’ for allowing her to succeed because of her workplace environment, and not despite of it.” 

Williams’ comment about equal pay comes nearly two years after it was revealed she was reportedly paid significantly less than Mark Wahlberg’s 1.5 million dollar salary for reshoots on the film All the Money In the World. Williams reportedly gave up a standard industry rate in order to accomplish the film's reshoots that followed Kevin Spacey being accused of sexual assault and let go from the project. The cast and crew had to scramble to reshoot key scenes in the film. 

The wage gap between men and women in Hollywood has long been talked about by entertainment powerhouses, with the organization Time's Up working towards income equality across all industries. Now, Williams' speech has hopefully helped keep that conversation going.