Celebrity

Michelle Williams Said ‘All the Money In the World’ Pay Disparity ‘Isn’t About Me’

'All the Money In the World' saw controversy when Michelle Williams was paid considerably less than her co-star Mark Wahlberg — but the actor didn't feel the dispute was just about her.

by Produced by Digital Editors

Published on September 11, 2022

3 min read

Michelle Williams made a lot less than her male co-star in ‘All The Money In The World’

All The Money In The World follows a wealthy tycoon who refuses to pay ransom after his grandson is kidnapped, fearing that paying would encourage the kidnappers to abduct more family members.

The movie follows the real-life kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, with Christopher Plummer playing Paul’s wealthy grandfather J. Paul Getty. Kevin Spacey had been cast in the role, but after several sexual misconduct allegations were leveled against him, the producers replaced him with Plummer.

This then forced the cast and crew to do reshoots as the film was almost done by the time Spacey exited the project. Although everyone returned for reshoots, only Wahlberg got appropriately compensated.

Ridley Scott spoke to USA Today and told the outlet that everyone worked for free. He, however, failed to mention that Wahlberg, who played the Getty Oil negotiator, Chase, had negotiated an impressive $1.5 million without his co-star’s knowledge.

The Wrap notes that Williams, who played Paul’s mom, Gail, received 1500 times less than Wahlberg, earning $1,000, despite being in the same agency, for two reasons. For starters, Wahlberg’s contract didn’t include reshoots, while Williams’ did. Additionally, Williams had previously told ET Canada that she was happy to work for nothing.

Secondly, since his contract didn’t accommodate reshoots, Wahlberg could work around the pay. Williams, on the other hand, was only paid out of courtesy. It’s also important to note that Wahlberg had a bigger role and more scenes with Plummer than the other actors.

Michelle Williams said pay disparity ‘isn’t about me’

Following the backlash and conversation regarding the salaries, Wahlberg announced that he would donate his reshoot earnings to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund in his co-star’s name. His agency WME also announced that it would donate an additional $500,000 to the fund in Williams’ name.

Williams was impressed by her agency and co-star’s responses to the controversy saying:

“Today isn’t about me. My fellow actresses stood by me and stood up for me, my activist friends taught me to use my voice and the most powerful men in charge, they listened and they acted.”

The star also said, “Today is one of the most indelible days of my life because of Mark Wahlberg, WME, and a community of women and me who share in this accomplishment.” Before Wahlberg and WME pledged their $2 million, the organization had already achieved its $15 million fundraising goal. The contributions go toward helping women around the world fight workplace discrimination and harassment.

Who is richer? Michelle Williams or Mark Wahlberg?

Both Wahlberg and Williams have impressive resumes and accomplishments. However, in terms of accolades, Williams trumps Wahlberg with 88 nominations and 24 wins, among them 4 Oscar nods and two Golden Globe wins for My Week with Marilyn and Fosse/ Verdon.

On the other hand, Wahlberg has 16 nominations from the major associations, including 2 Oscar noms and 3 Golden Globe nods with zero wins. Despite the accomplishments, Wahlberg is worth more than Williams.

According to Wealthy Gorilla, the Spencer Confidential star is worth $400 million, while Williams is worth $30 million. According to IMDb, Wahlberg has 76 acting credits while Williams has 54 acting credits.