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Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain Fight for Equal Pay and Win

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Ever since they stared in The Help together, Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain have been extremely close friends. The two have been eager to work together again and began discussing the idea of filming a holiday comedy together. Both were excited about the new prospect and quickly got on the topic of pay and the sexism coupled with it.

The conversation got very passionate while the two actresses vented and dropped F-bombs about the ridiculousness of unequal pay for women. However, Chastain, who has been very outspoken in the past about pay equity in Hollywood, had no idea that the pay scales were tipped in even less favor for women of color.

Octavia Spencer explained to her that while white women get paid less than men, statistically women of color get paid even less than that. After a moment of silence, Chastain announced to Spencer that they would be bundling their salaries together in a “favored nations” deal for their upcoming holiday film.

After making this deal, Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox engaged in a knock-down-drag-out bidding war for these ladies and their upcoming comedy, produced by Chastain. While Universal won the rights to the new movie, the real winners were Spencer and Chastain who walked away with five times their original asking salary.

Enjoy Octavia's account of her and Jessica's journey to equal pay in the video below. 

“I love that woman, because she’s walking the walk and she’s actually talking the talk. She said, ‘Octavia, we’re gonna get you paid on this film. You and I are gonna be tied together. We’re gonna be favored nations, and we’re gonna make the same thing.’ Fast forward to last week, we’re making five times what we asked for.”

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