‘Barbie’ makes the case for feminism as Margot Robbie becomes ‘highest-paid’ woman in Hollywood

Life in plastic must be fantastic after all.

Margot Robbie has been revealed as the “highest-paid” woman in Hollywood, thanks to her role in the upcoming Barbie film as the titular doll. As reported by Variety, Robbie earnt $12.5m (£10.5m) for her part in the flick, earning the same as co-star Ryan Gosling, who plays the role of Ken.

Robbie’s latest earnings exceed her previous earnings for her latest blockbuster, Birds Of Prey, in 2020 which sat at $10m (£8.4m). While it’s great to see Robbie up there with the heavy hitters of the acting world, there’s still clearly a lot of work to be done for females to receive the same income as their male counterparts.

In an interview with Out Magazine, Oscar-winning Hollywood star Emma Stone spoke out about the gender pay gap in the film industry, and how she’s needed some of her male co-stars to help bridge the gap. “In my career so far, I’ve needed my male co-stars to take a pay cut so that I may have parity with them,” she said. “And that’s something they do for me because they feel it’s what’s right and fair.”

She continued: “If my male co-star, who has a higher quote than me but believes we are equal, takes a pay cut so that I can match him, that changes my quote in the future and changes my life.”

Tom Cruise pulled in a whopping $100m (£84m) for his role in Top Gun: Maverick while Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio received $30m (£25m) for their latest roles. Millie Bobby Brown is the next highest-paid female actor after Robbie after her appearance in Enola Holmes 2 pocketed her $10m (£8.4m). 

The live-action Barbie film is directed by Greta Gerwig, who wrote the script with her romantic and collaborative partner, Noah Baumbach. Robbie is also listed as a producer for the film under her LuckyChap Entertainment company. Hopefully, the eagerly anticipated film can set the precedent for upcoming productions and see the gender pay gap all but diminished in the near future.

Barbie is set for a release in UK cinemas 23rd July 2023.

Writer
Chris Saunders
Banner Image Credit
Warner Bros.