Robin Wright, renowned for portraying Claire Underwood in House of Cards, recently reflected on being refused equal pay due to her lack of an Academy Award.
Wright expressed these assertions in a conversation led by Leo Barraclough, the international features director at Variety.
"When David Fincher introduced House of Cards to me, he said, 'This is going to be the future, it's going to be revolutionary,'" Wright recalled. "And look where we are now."
She mentioned that she had to advocate for equal pay on the popular series, which included Kevin Spacey. "Yes, it was difficult. I am going to be honest," she said.
"When I said, 'I think it's only fair because my character became as popular as [Spacey's], they said, 'We can't pay you the same as an actor, so we will make you exec producer and you can direct. We will give you three different paychecks.' I asked, 'Why can't you pay me as an actor?' 'Because you didn't win an Academy Award.'"
"That has been the protocol for years -- it just is. If you say, 'Why did so-and-so female not get the same amount as Will Smith?' They say, 'It will increase after you win.' Nomination, not so much," she continued. "Why does it have to do anything with a raise?"
As per Variety, she also talked about that controversial ending: "That was my idea, so... Sorry. Initially, I said: 'Let him kill her.'"
However, Wright said getting to direct the show was a "gift."
House of Cards, a Netflix series, spanned six seasons. It debuted on February 1, 2013, and wrapped up with its last season on November 2, 2018.
