One week ago, we reported that HBO executive Casey Bloys announced that the network had just finished an internal audit which ensured that any “inappropriate disparities” in pay between actors and actresses were taken care of. And according to one of the star’s of their hit show “Westworld,” it seems as if the executive was speaking the truth.
In an interview with The Wrap, actress Evan Rachel Wood, who is by all accounts the “face” of “Westworld” spoke specifically about the pay issue. And according to her, she actually saw a nice bump in pay due to this new HBO initiative.
READ MORE: Evan Rachel Wood Talks ‘Westworld’ Season 2, Has Already Figured Out The Big Twist
“I was just told that, you know, ‘Hey you’re, you’re getting equal pay.’ And I was like,” Wood said, miming a gasp. “And I almost got emotional. I was like, ‘I have never been paid the same as my male counterparts … Never, never.’”
However, this increase in pay might be seen as a little late, considering it won’t go into effect until the third season of the popular sci-fi series. That doesn’t seem to be bothering Wood so much, as she goes on to explain that for years she’s been making roughly the same amount of money for projects, and the “Westworld” increase was a first.
“I have not moved. And I’m not saying I’m in like dire straits. I’m very lucky … It’s more about if you’re getting paid fairly, or the same, or if you’re getting paid less simply because you’re a woman, that’s not fair,” continued Wood.
“There’s a lot of politics, but there’s a lot of things that are now being talked about in a different way,” Wood said. “There is a lot of stuff that goes on behind the scenes. There is a lot of trying to make things equal and trying to make things fair. I don’t know, there is a lot of stuff. But this is the first time that somebody made a point of being like, ‘Hey you’re getting this. And you deserve it.’ And that was nice.”
“Westworld” season 2 premieres April 22 on HBO.