LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: We rarely hear about leading men and women in Hollywood being paid the same amount because the pay gap is still an issue in Tinsel Town. However, it was reported that for playing the leads in Greta Gerwig's 'Barbie', Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie were paid equally. The movie is set to hit theaters on July 21.
According to Variety, Gosling and Robbie were paid $12.5M each for playing Ken and Barbie in the movie. 'Barbie' is among the most highly-awaited releases of 2023.
How much do Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling earn?
A two-time Oscar nominee, Robbie was paid between $9M and $10M for playing Harley Quinn in 'Birds of Prey.' She took home $347,000 for starring as Leonardo DiCaprio's wife in 'The Wolf of Wall Street', a role that cemented her status as a Hollywood heavyweight.
However, Gosling earned almost twice that amount for other roles. He and Chris Evans were paid $20M each for starring in the Netflix movie, 'The Gray Man'. Critics, however, contended that Robbie ought to be paid much more since she was movie's primary character.
'You would think she would get a little bit more'
In a discussion on Yahoo Finance, Rachelle Akuffo said, "Obviously, something that you love to. You love to see equity when it comes to pay. But I'm not sure how I feel about this. I mean, she is playing Barbie," adding, "You would think she would get a little bit more, but I mean, I don't know."
Dave Briggs, her co-host, responded, "Well, I was outvoted. I said she was the biggest star in the movie in the room, and everyone said I am wrong on that account, that he is, in fact, the bigger star. I think it is nice to see some equal pay, some parity. And I think we're going to see a lot more of that in the years moving forward. I found out there's finally some revelation of the plot. Reading Deadline, it's about Barbie getting kicked out of Barbie Land because she's not perfect enough."
'I will never sell my soul for a paycheck'
Robbie is among the highest paid actresses in 2022. She told Vanity Fair in 2014, "I’ve worked three jobs at a time. I worked in a pharmacy, an office, at a warehouse, did catering. I was always trying to save up money." She soon "saved up enough" to get her through three years unemployed after getting a role on the Australian TV show 'Neighbours'.
The 'Babylon' star said, "I will never sell my soul for a paycheck. I don’t need the money because I’m not extravagant. I share my house in London with five roommates. I take the Tube—it’s free entertainment! I intend to stay the exact same person I always was; my family and friends keep me grounded." She has a net worth of $26M, per Celebrity Net Worth.