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Robin Wright as Claire Underwood in Netflix’s “House of Cards”

In the continuing saga of female leading actresses who don’t get paid as much as their male co-stars but undoutedly should, we can add Robin Wright to the list. Can you believe that Netflix had the audacity to not pay her equal to Kevin Spacey for their hit series, House of Cards? There would be no Frank Underwood without Claire Underwood! Last night, Wright spoke at a Rockefeller Foundation event and discussed her realization that Claire was even more popular than Frank with viewers (she’s my favorite!) and she told Netflix they better pay up or else. Here’s her quote about going “full Underwood,” as The Mary Sue called it, which is a verb every House of Cards fan can get behind:

“There are very few films or TV shows where the male, the patriarch, and the matriarch are equal. And they are in House of Cards. I was looking at the statistics and Claire Underwood’s character was more popular than [Frank’s] for a period of time. So I capitalized on it. I was like, “You better pay me or I’m going to go public.” And they did.”

That’s RIGHT. Don’t you mess with Ms. Wright – haven’t you watched this show? She will literally cut you. I’d be scared to tell her no, honestly. Glad Netflix has the fear of Claire in them and decided to say yes. I also love that she’s talking about it even though they ponied up the cash, because the more actresses that have this conversation, the better. I watched the premiere of Chelsea Handler’s new Netflix show, simply titled “Chelsea,” and she was discussing Hollywood and equal pay with some of the cast of Captain America: Civil War. I was pretty put off when Chelsea asserted that we didn’t need to be having this conversation, that actresses should just demand equal pay and be done with it. I heartily disagree – women need to demand their worth and be heard doing so if it is to become the norm. Thankfully, Chris Evans pointed out the importance to Chelsea, so way to go, Cap. I knew you were a stand-up guy.

Another women’s issue that Wright brought up at the Rockefeller Foundation last night was that of raising her kids while still working as an actress part-time. She says that because she wasn’t full-time, she wasn’t increasing her salary and bankability, which leads you “to become a B-List actor”. While Wright obviously has a degree of privilege in that she was able to take time off to raise her kids (a daughter and a son, now both in their 20s) and re-enter the workforce, it is undoubtedly extremely difficult to find substantial roles for women over 40 either on TV or in film. Seeing Wright, now age 50, being a supreme badass on House of Cards is an inspiration to women, especially women in high-powered careers. And she’s a mom, too! I can’t think of a better actress to lend her voice to the issue of equal pay. Soon, I hope I won’t even have to right posts like this. Until then, let’s all channel our inner Claire Underwood when asking for what we’re worth!

 

Sources: Huffington Post, The Mary Sue

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Amy Imhoff

Amy Imhoff is a writer and editor who blogs at Shoes and Starships, a geek lifestyle blog that specializes in genre fandom, pop culture, travel, fashion, and feminism. She is a featured convention panelist, podcast contributor, and interviewer. Amy has her masters in literature, enjoys a slightly unhealthy obsession with all things British, and likes to sniff old books. Amy is based outside NYC, where she lives with her husband and two silly cats. Find her freaking out about X-Files and Star Trek @lightstar1013

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