Jennifer Lawrence (JLaw) started the ripple when she wrote an essay on her true feelings about the gender pay gap she was involved in, which was published in Lena Dunham's "Lenny Letter" on Oct. 14, and it earned her waves of support from her co-stars and other celebrities. Two of JLaw's first supporters were Bradley Cooper, her co-star in "American Hustle," the root of the controversy, and Josh Hutcherson, but more female stars are weighing in on the matter now.
Some high profile females have already voiced out their opinion and support soon after JLaw's essay was published. This includes presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, United Nations (U.N.) Women Goodwill Ambassador, Emma Watson, JLaw's "The Hunger Games" co-star Elizabeth Banks, and Academy Awards Nominee Jessica Chastain.
Brava, Jennifer. It's hard to speak up against inequity and risk being unpopular—but equal pay matters for us all. https://t.co/g29cRkq5ln
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 16, 2015
O Jennifer Lawrence I love you so. X — Emma Watson (@EmWatson) October 13, 2015
I love Jennifer Lawrence. https://t.co/x2jAbnUsmy
— Elizabeth Banks (@ElizabethBanks) October 13, 2015
Yessssssss! Get it girl xx https://t.co/L3w0nNnqGQ — Jessica Chastain (@jes_chastain) October 13, 2015
Julia Roberts recently weighed in on the matter during an interview for her new film "Secret in Their Eyes." "I applaud her... she's so energetic and seems to speak her mind, and I think it's great. I think it's great to kind of shake things up," Roberts said about JLaw and her essay on gender pay gap. She also revealed that she sees some similarities between her and the younger star, especially with the ferocious part of their personalities.
"Glee" star Leah Michele may not have directly addressed the issue but she did write an essay on the importance of women supporting other women.
English actress and Oscar winner Kate Winslet, on the other hand, has a different opinion because she prefers to be discreet. Don't hate on Winslet just yet because she's not against JLaws actions, it's just that she's uncomfortable with the publicity of it all. "I understand why they are coming up but maybe it's a British thing... I don't like talking about money... I'm quite surprised by these conversations to be honest, simply because it seems quite a strange thing to be discussing out in the open like that," Winslet said.
Her opinion must stem from her own lack of experience with regard to the issue. "If I'd ever been in that situation I would have either dealt with it or removed myself from it... I haven't ever felt that I've really had to stick up for myself just because I'm a woman," she added.
While her words may seem puzzling or unsympathetic to some the same way JLaw's co-star Jeremy Renner's words were misunderstood, bear in mind that Winslet comes from a different society. More specifically, Winslet's homeland is where the first fight for gender pay gap occurred in 1968 and concluded with the Equal Pay Act, all thanks to the women workers of Ford's Dagenham plant.
Still, it wouldn't hurt to talk about it. After all, even Fawcett Society, the society which champions equal pay in Britain, admits that it is necessary. "The message to women and men at work is - it's OK to talk about pay. How can we achieve pay equality if we don't even know what our colleagues earn?" Fawcett Society's Chief Executive, Sam Smethers, said.
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