Tom Cruise Was Accused by Mission Impossible Co-Star for Being the Real Reason of Pay Disparity in Hollywood
Tom Cruise began his acting career with a small role in the 1981 movie Endless Love, which was followed by a major supporting role in Taps. His performance in the 1983 movie Risky Business gave his career a massive boost, and by 1986, he had attained superstar status in Hollywood, thanks to his portrayal of naval aviator Lieutenant Pete Mitchell in Tony Scott’s action drama Top Gun.
Over the years, Tom Cruise has starred in some of the best movies of all time and there is no denying that he is a great actor. However, there is one thing that other actors have often expressed their concerns about. This happens to be The Color of Money actor’s salary. So much so that even one of his co-stars Alec Baldwin once called Cruise the reason for pay disparity in Hollywood.
Alec Baldwin Blamed Tom Cruise for Salary Disparity
From Brad Pitt to Emily Blunt, Tom Cruise has worked alongside some of the best actors in Hollywood. His movies have grossed $11.5 billion worldwide which has managed to make him one of the highest-grossing box-office stars of all time. So, it does not come as much of a surprise that he charges a lot for the movies he stars in.
There is a difference in the salaries of men and women in Hollywood that cannot be ignored. For years, there has been a battle in the industry for equal pay. While hosting Elle magazine’s annual Women in Hollywood dinner and awards show in 2009, Alec Baldwin labeled his Mission Impossible co-star Tom Cruise as the reason for salary disparity in Hollywood.
While addressing the matter during the event (via E! News), Baldwin said:
“I believe we can balance the scales if Tom Cruise would lower his quote by a mere $29 million. I realize this may be a bit unfair since he’s not here to defend himself and I really don’t want to put this all on one man, but if I had to, that man would be Tom Cruise…I assure you my salary would not make a difference. My annual salary is the budget for Altoids on one of Tom’s movies.”
Katie Holmes who was Cruise’s wife back then did not seem to mind the subtle dig at her husband. On the contrary, she was seen laughing along with the rest of the audience.
Hollywood A-Listers Have Voiced Their Concerns Regarding Pay Gap
A gap in the salaries of male and female actors in Hollywood has been there for a long time. More and more of these underpaid female actresses have been drawing attention to this gender pay equality in the Hollywood entertainment industry.
Jennifer Lawrence, Sharon Stone, Sandra Bullock, and even Meryl Streep have been candid about inequality. While being interviewed by the press on the red carpet of Variety‘s Power of Women, Salma Hayek did not hold back her criticism about how women are treated (via Access Online). She said:
“This is a problem that is in every single industry. If you have the same capacities and you are doing the same job, it is criminal not to pay the same salary.”
There has not been a change in the situation so far. However, as long as influential women like these keep drawing attention to the issue, hopefully, Hollywood will learn to treat everyone with equality.
