Entertainment
Will Smith raised salaries of King Richard cast after co-star Aunjanue Ellis wrote letter about being underpaid
The King Richard cast received salary increases thanks to Aunjanue speaking up and Will taking action (Picture: Getty Images)
Will Smith fought to raise the salaries of the King Richard cast after receiving a letter from co-star Aunjanue Ellis revealing how she was being underpaid.
It was previously revealed that the Fresh Prince of Bel Air actor simply dished out bonuses among the cast of the biopic about Richard Williams, father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams.
However, there was more to the story as Aunjanue, 53, revealed the gesture came after she approached Will, 52, about her salary which she felt didn’t justify her work.
For context, Aunjanue has received several nominations for her performance as Richard’s wife Oracene ‘Brandy’ Williams, including the best supporting actress Oscar.
Sharing her battle for equality, the actress said on Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club: ‘He did but I think what’s important to say about that… is that after you get the job, the fight is not over. I did that job and I’m thankful for it but I could have gotten paid better. So I told him this and he did something about it.
‘As a result of his doing, his responding to the letter that I wrote to him, not only did he address that with increasing my pay, but the other actors also got their pay increased, which is the proof of when the Black women do well, everybody does well.
‘He did something about it.’
When asked why the salary increase was downplayed as a ‘bonus’, Aunjanue said: ‘That’s how he [Will] wants to frame it, that’s his world. I think it’s important that first of all, people know who this man is and what he did, and also that Black women still have to fight to get paid equally.
Will had his on-screen wife’s back (Picture: Getty Images for National Board of Review)
‘What happened with the other people in the cast, that’s their story. So speaking for myself, whoever your agent is they can fight for the best thing for you, but if you are working within a system that doesn’t believe that the work of Black women is as important as the work of white men, no matter how much they fight, it doesn’t matter because that’s still a reality.
‘There’s not a Black woman in the world who has had my path, essentially, that doesn’t have that story.
‘We’ve got to keep saying it.’
More: Will Smith
Will has himself received acclaim this awards season for his portrayal of Richard, and won the best actor Bafta and outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role at the Sag Awards. He is also nominated for best actor at the Oscars, which take place next Sunday.
King Richard is available to watch via Sky Cinema.
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