Jessica Chastain "isn’t afraid" to speak out against gender inequality.
The 41-year-old actress has been known for being a vocal activist and feminist, and says that her work in using her platform to speak out against injustices is "important", as she believes people must come together to "turn around" the problem of gender imbalances.
Speaking to the New York Post’s Page Six column after a screening for her new movie ‘Woman Walks Ahead’, she said: "It’s important to speak out and amplify our imbalance in the moviemaking industry. I have experienced no backlash from anyone since making my views public. I certainly wasn’t afraid to do it. Glad I did it. It’s taken a long time to get this far, and I’m out front for those who cannot speak out. We must turn this around."
Recently, the ‘Molly’s Game’ star hit headlines after she helped Octavia Spencer negotiate a better salary when the fellow actress was offered an unfair wage for an upcoming project she is working on with Jessica.
Jessica managed to get Octavia a salary five times higher than her original offer, and revealed earlier this week she was "shocked" by the pay disparity.
She said: "Of course I knew women of colour got paid less, I mean of course I knew that. But I just assumed, which is the dangerous thing, I assumed that a woman like Octavia Spencer would be compensated fairly for the work she’s done, for the awards she’s received.
"When she told me what her salary had been, that’s what really shocked me. And I thought, okay well we’re gonna tie ourselves together in this next film."
The ‘Hidden Figures’ star previously praised her friend as her "biggest cheerleader" and "most vocal advocate".
Octavia said: "I shared a personal story [with Jessica] about what [financial] success has meant for me and most women of colour in comparison to our white counterparts.
"I told her about the gross disparity in our salaries. She provided a much-needed shoulder and listened. And then she did what she always does: She took up my cause and made it her own.
"As a friend, she’s your biggest cheerleader; but as a colleague, she’s your most vocal advocate."
Jessica Chastain ‘not afraid’ to speak out
