Skip to main contentSkip to footer

Natalie Portman: 'Ashton Kutcher was paid 3 times as much as me'

Natalie Portman
Chloe Best
Lifestyle Features Editor
Share this:

Natalie Portman has become the latest star to discuss the gender pay gap in Hollywood. The Oscar-winning actress said she was paid three times less than her co-star Ashton Kutcher for their 2011 film No Strings Attached.

However Natalie admitted she finds it hard to complain about the disparity because her salary was still "a lot".

Speaking about the issue with Marie Claire magazine, Natalie said: "Ashton Kutcher was paid three times as much as me on No Strings Attached. I knew and I went along with it because there's this thing with 'quotes' in Hollywood."

Natalie Portman No Strings Attached

Natalie Portman said Ashton Kutcher earned 3 times more than her for No Strings Attached

The 35-year-old explained that an actors' quote is the highest they have ever been paid.

"His was three times higher than mine so they said he should get three times more," Natalie said, adding that she wasn't as annoyed as she should have been at the time. "I mean, we get paid a lot, so it's hard to complain, but the disparity is crazy."

Natalie, who is currently pregnant with her second child, also said that the pay gap issue is much worse in Hollywood than in any other profession.

Natalie Portman

The actress said she felt like she couldn't complain because she still earned "a lot"

"Compared to men, in most professions, women make 80 cents to the dollar. In Hollywood, we are making 30 cents to the dollar," she said.

She is not the first high profile actress to share her experiences of the gender pay gap; Jennifer Lawrence said in 2015 that she wasn't "mad" at anyone but herself after emails leaked from Sony revealed the discrepancy between herself and her American Hustle co-stars.

"I didn't get mad at Sony. I got mad at myself," Jennifer explained in an open letter. "I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early. I didn't want to keep fighting over millions of dollars that, frankly, due to two franchises, I don't need."