So far, the conversation around “All The Money In The World” has involved one thing: Ridley Scott‘s bananas decision reshoot Kevin Spacey‘s scenes with Christopher Plummer, weeks before the film’s release. Cinephiles marvelled at the eighty year-old director’s efficiency, and indeed, he delivered without a frame looking out of place. However, it turns out that the film about ruthless greed, had its own J. Paul Getty-like behavior happening behind the scenes.
In a story that seemed to be lost in the post-Thanksgiving crush, The Washington Post revealed in November that Mark Wahlberg played hardball when it came to returning for more work on “All The Money In The World.” The actor demanded and received $2 million for ten days of work, far outpacing the hundreds of thousands of dollars (or less) Michelle Williams and Christopher Plummer received. USA Today has clarified those figures, noting that Wahlberg wound up with $1.5 million versus $80 per day for Williams for the ten day reshoot.
https://twitter.com/jes_chastain/status/950578469586444288
During the press run for the movie, Scott routinely claimed that the cast were benevolent about being paid, claiming to USA Today, “Everyone did it for nothing. They all came in for free.” It turns out, that’s not quite true.
The reshoots are said to have cost in the neighborhood of $10 million, and I’d assume a fair chunk of that is Wahlberg’s salary. There are some who will say that the actor should’nt be chastised for negotiating his way to a decent payday. However, for a film that was rocked by the ongoing #MeToo movement, not to mention the continuing conversation about equity in Hollywood, with Scott trying to salvage his picture at the last minute, there is something to be said about perhaps being a little gracious in how you approach a moment which is really about everyone coming together to do the right thing.
“All The Money In The World” is now playing.
SO?????? He is a movie star and he can command big paychecks, she isn’t. Plain and simple.
How DARE you bring basic economics into this?
He’s been in 60 films to her 53, so their numbers are comparable. Both have had a good number of big budget films and more indie fare… OH, and she’s got 4 oscar nominations to his 2, she has 39 awards to his 20, 131 nominations to his 65. Sorry, you wanna talk about who can command more it’s undoubtedly her (Especially in this movie where she’s getting more praise than him… by everyone) so if nothing else, they should be getting equal paychecks based upon their status in the industry. It’s just that she went ‘Oh god, we have to do this now” and just signed on, and he went full diva and demanded more money when really, he could’ve just turned up like she did.
Well. He’s a scumbag for doing this. But she could have done the same. So it has nothing to do with equality or inequality. Only the negotiating skills of your handlers. And the greediness of the actor. Also it’s a popularity contest. The one who gets more asses in seats wins. Awards and nominations mean shit.
Number of awards or nominations does not necessarily equal stardom or net worth, Mark’s movies overall have grossed more($2.896 billion- more than Christopher Plummer-$1.384 billion and Michelle Williams-$793.4 million combined as of the date of posting) and he is more bankable that’s why he demanded more because he knows his worth, so are many other actors and actresses with less awards or nominations , movies that gross more hardly ever get any nominations for awards
Yeah but his movies consist of 2 Transformers movies, and no one saw them for him let’s be honest. He’s not more bankable, he’s just been in bigger budget schlock. Also it’s not him who does the negotiations, it’s his agent…. who represents Michelle too. Just saying, you’d think his agent would’ve maybe had the decency to tell him to accept the per diem rate or to push for Michelle to get a fair payday
She is free to decline the 80$….and not sign a movie contract… I am sure if Marky Mark would have showed up for 80$ that is all they would have paid him too.
This is misleading journalism. The headline should read “Michelle Williams AND Christopher Plummer”. It’s not a gender thing if the other male actor is getting paid the same too. That’s just one actor and his agents asking for more money while the others end up getting the original amount. Either they didn’t know he was able to negotiate it, or they didn’t try to ask for the same.
Well done Mark, it isn’t his fault she didn’t want a pay packet, she should have spoke up at the time like Mark did, would you work for free?, this also smells like it’s being turned into an equal pay issue like Mark has done something wrong. The “Bananas decision re-shoot” comment, really? Scott should’ve stuck with the sexual deviant is what that translates as to me, and had he not re-shot it i wouldn’t be interested in watching it as i am now.
Kev, report the actual news, not your version of the news.
Maybe you need to become a TV anchor instead? haha
This talent-less writer is nothing more than a shit stirrer. Of course his headline doesn’t include Plummer, just a female name to get things started. Guess what Kevie, Wahlberg is a bigger star who commands more $. This is not about equality.
Kevin Jagertwat & Jessica Chastain, both. I haven’t read that Ms. Williams or Christopher Plummer complained about their pay! I read the same article where Scott said they worked for nothing or change!!
Then something that had to have been told in confidence wound up on (of course) social media with demands for an explanation!!
“Mark Wahlberg played hardball when it came to returning for more work…”
Perhaps Michelle should learn to do this. Or maybe she wasn’t particularly bothered by the money. Whatever happened this seems like a non-story. By the way, Jessica, how did that “X-Men” money spend which you still took despite complaining about Bryan Singer’s past?
Brian Singer isn’t directing the new X-Men sooooo
He was a producer, so……
Kinda pathetic that her first concern is that the woman, who is not really a draw, got less and not the fact that the scumbag millionaire used some other persons misfortune and suffering to squeeze some more millions he doesn’t really need out for himself.
If you change the headline to “Mark Wahlberg Paid Millions More Than Michelle Williams For ‘All The Money In The World’ Reshoots Because He’s A Huge Movie Star Whose Name Sells Thousands And Thousands Of Tickets And Michelle Williams’ Isn’t,” we won’t need the article just kidding we already don’t need the article.
Michelle Williams is a wonderful actress but this article is as as silly as my new title for it.
These are actors…..not factory workers. They are paid based on their ability to draw at the box office.
Look, I’m certainly not a fan of Wahlberg’s work and am of Ms. Williams. Having said that ,all might be advised to remember that this is a business. Making a movie is a business and all involved negotiate their payments according to what they think they are worth and what the money people/producers/studios think they are worth. This movie got into trouble and made a decision on how to get out of that trouble but needed certain actors to return for reshoots not included in their originals contracts. These actors did not owe the producers, studio, director a thing. They were asked to come back as their services were required. It’s a business and it seems like Wahlberg and his agents negotiated and received an agreed upon sum for him to return and perform his services for them. This negotiating by Wahlberg and the filmmakers had nothing…absolutely nothing to do with the negotiations between Williams and her agents and the filmmakers. I saw an interview with Williams saying she would do it for nothing as she believed in the film and wanted it to be received in the best possible light. Good for her. I thought it odd, but it seems Wahlberg is more a business person than she is. He certainly is worth a lot more because he’s a producer on many projects and knows the game and has accumulated several hundred of millions of dollars doing so. The last point is we know nothing of what any of them were paid and won’t know unless one of them reveals that so this is all speculative nonsense fishing for meaningless opinions by people more than willing to offer said meaningless opinions without knowing any of the facts. Period. Ms. Chastain is making herself known to be someone who offers her opinion without knowing facts and seems to me to be ego aggrandizing by using a hot button issue around women in order to do so. But hey!…everyone has the right to yammer away about whatever and the internet offers that opportunity.
Mark Wahlberg, why’d you have to be so greedy?
We are all for equal pay but how does Wahlberg’s negotiations affect Michelle’s? how is he to know what they paid her? how do we know we are getting the full story or even the truth? She just heard that from someone who probably heard it too we all know how word of mouth can distort information as it trickles down. You don’t champion for equal pay by dragging out someone’s name who was just getting his , and why is it always an issue when the man gets paid more but when A list actresses get paid more no one seems to say it, its probably because they are more famous and have a bigger pull
Maybe Michelle Williams should get herself a better agent and or manager then.
He is a big box office draw and demands more pay, this is how the free market works. Plummer is a much better actor but his draw is negligible because he is old. Click bait bullshit news!
I haven’t seen the movie, and I know very little about it, but does Wahlberg have a larger role than Williams? Did he have more material to re-shoot than Williams? If either of these are the case, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised.
He demanded 2 mil and signed a contract. Unless Michelle Williams and Christopher Plummer asked for the same amount, signed a contract and still get paid $80 per day then it’s just some bullshit news. No inequality just stupidity. If you want something make sure it’s on paper.