Mark Wahlberg Is Getting Crucified For Being Paid Money To Do A Job

(USAToday) — Mark Wahlberg was paid $1.5 million for reshooting his scenes in All the Money in the World, three people familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly about it tell USA TODAY, while Michelle Williams was paid an $80 per diem totaling less than $1,000. That works out to Williams being paid less than 1% of her male co-star. Williams previously told USA TODAY that when Scott’s team called to request her time for the reshoot, “I said I’d be wherever they needed me, whenever they needed me. And they could have my salary, they could have my holiday, whatever they wanted. Because I appreciated so much that they were making this massive effort.”

I feel like I’m taking crazy pills on this one? I’m not here to deny a pay gap or wage differences between the sexes, that exists and it’s real, but how do you turn this into a pay gap issue when Michelle Williams plainly says she offered to do it for free? She uses her own words to say she told them to take her salary. Mark Wahlberg said ummm no thank you I will take money to work.

There’s nothing wrong with either of their moves but I’m more of a Wahlberg guy myself. If I finish my job then you call me and say, “Hey, through no fault of your own you have to come do your work again,” I will say, “Sure thing, but that’s going to cost you more money.” What the hell is wrong with that? He knew he had the studio over a barrel and they absolutely had to re-shoot because there was a 0.000000% chance this movie was getting released with Kevin Spacey in it. That’s being a good businessman and using leverage if you ask me.

Plus, it’s not like this paycheck is coming from a Kevin Spacey victims fund, it’s coming from a major Hollywood studio. Where’s the honor in not making them pay? If you want to be charitable with your time then negotiate pay for the reshoots and donate that money to charity, but get the money from the billion dollar company. You’re not a hero because you saved Sony Pictures a bunch of cash.

I’m no Wahlberg superfan but this particular situation seems crazy to me. He’s a blockbuster superstar and a hypothetical 9/11 hero, of course his time is valuable.