Mark Wahlberg has issued a statement declaring that he will be donating the $1.5 million he received from reshoots of All the Money in the World to the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund. "Over the last few days my reshoot fee for All The Money in the World has become an important topic of conversation," Wahlberg said in his statement, perDeadline. "I 100% support the fight for fair pay and I’m donating the $1.5 million to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund in Michelle Williams’ name."
Wahlberg's decision to put his donation in co-star Michelle Williams comes after USA Today reported that the 46-year-old received an additional $1.5 million when director Ridley Scott was forced to do reshoots after sexual misconduct allegations against Kevin Spacey came out months before the film's release. Meanwhile, Williams received less than $1,000, a clear sign of the gender pay gap that actresses have been speaking out against the last few months.
Meanwhile, WME, the agency which represents Wahlberg, Williams and Scott pledged to donate $500,000 to Time’s Up. "The current conversation is a reminder that those of us in a position of influence have a responsibility to challenge inequities, including the gender wage gap," WME said in a statement. "In recognition of the pay discrepancy on All The Money In The World reshoots, WME is donating an additional $500,000 to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund in Michelle Williams’ name, following our $1 million pledge to the organization earlier this month. It’s crucial that this conversation continues within our community and we are committed to being part of the solution."
Wahlberg's gesture feels like it's too little, too late for the highest-paid actor on earth. But WME is just as much to blame considering they represent every single party involved in this situation. As respectable as these gestures may be, someone needs to separately rectify how wrong they treated Williams who sacrificed her holidays and pay for the sake of the film.
