Chapter 689: The Factors Behind Actor Salaries

"Me? I get to name it?"

Scarlett pointed at herself. "Are you sure?"

Duke smiled. "Of course, darling. It's your right."

With one arm crossed and a hand pinching her chin, Scarlett Johansson considered it seriously for several minutes before coming up with a rather uncreative name.

"How about 'The Duke'?" she suggested. "I think it has a nice ring to it."

The corner of Duke's eye twitched. He realized that Scarlett was just as talentless at naming things as he was. Still, "The Duke" wasn't bad. It sounded much better than "Octopus" or "Chieftain."

Following the spiral staircase from the living room, Scarlett pulled Duke up to the top deck. They took shelter under a parasol and stood by the railing, looking out at the distant sea.

"Let's take her out on the water," she suggested.

Since they had come to see the yacht, taking it for a spin was a given. Duke pressed the intercom and notified the captain. However, getting such a massive vessel out to sea was no simple task. It wasn't until the sun dipped toward the west that "The Duke" finally left port, following the channel away from the coastline.

Even out on the water, the weather remained sweltering. After a short time on the top deck, Scarlett pulled Duke back downstairs. Once the sky darkened, the kitchen sent up the veal steaks they had ordered.

They sat by the glass windows, enjoying the nighttime ocean view and the delicious food. Neither planned to return to the Malibu estate tonight; they were going to sleep out on the sea.

"The yacht is big enough."

Scarlett soon set her knife and fork down. "We can throw parties here from now on."

She picked up her napkin, wiped her mouth, and asked another question.

"You mentioned traveling around the world last year. Have you set a date yet?"

"Darling," Duke reminded her, "I don't think your schedule allows for it."

Scarlett set down her napkin. "The Marvel Pictures executives have lost their minds," she complained. "Captain America hasn't even finished its theatrical run, and they're already prepping Iron Man 2."

That prompted her to ask Duke,

"Are you still going to direct the franchise?"

Duke shook his head. "I've already turned Marvel Pictures down."

He couldn't tie himself to the Marvel Series forever. Besides, he had recommended Jon Favreau to take over the project. Iron Man 2 was about to launch, and Black Widow was an essential piece of the puzzle. Scarlett was currently in negotiations with Marvel Pictures for the role, and both she and Nancy Josephson were highly unsatisfied with the studio's initial offer.

"How are the negotiations going?" Duke asked.

Scarlett shook her head slightly.

"Not great. Kevin Feige keeps citing the industry's customary pay conventions for male and female actors."

Mindful of Scarlett's pride, Duke hadn't intervened yet.

"Do you need me to make a call to the Marvel people?" he probed.

"Not right now." Scarlett wasn't inflexible; she just didn't want Duke stepping in to solve her problems so quickly. She had her own pride to maintain. "If I really need to, I'll tell you."

Duke simply reached over and gently patted her hand.

This kind of tug-of-war between actors and production companies was incredibly common in Hollywood, just as the massive pay gap between male and female actors was an industry convention.

Salary represented more than just money; it represented status. In Scarlett's own words, discovering the pay gap between herself and Robert Downey Jr. for Iron Man 2 had been utterly disappointing.

She wasn't disappointed about the money itself. Her disappointment stemmed more from the status of women in the industry and the reality of implicit discrimination.

Scarlett had always been passionate about politics and social activism. As one of Hollywood's leading advocates for feminism, she wasn't going to sign a contract like that easily.

However, Duke knew full well that, looking back over Hollywood's nearly century-long history, this was simply the norm. If he didn't step in, Marvel Pictures was unlikely to compromise.

He just had to carefully consider how to intervene, as he needed to spare Scarlett's feelings.

In truth, from Marilyn Monroe to Meryl Streep, Hollywood boasted plenty of enduringly famous actresses. The film industry showered them with endless honors and praise, but when it came to salaries, Hollywood's care for women fell somewhat short—sometimes severely so.

Not only were female roles scarce in film, television, and comedy, but their earnings frequently lagged behind those of their male co-stars.

In Hollywood, salaries were determined by fame, status, and box office appeal, along with one other critical factor: gender!

Even for two B-list stars cast as the male and female leads in the same movie, the actress's pay was often only half—or sometimes less than a third—of the actor's.

Sexism was all too common in this circle.

It was usually only when an actress learned her male co-star's salary that she realized just how much less she was making compared to the lucky ones born male.

Beyond just the numbers on a paycheck, the severe shortage of female roles on the big screen also meant actresses had fewer opportunities to earn money overall. Reese Witherspoon had once raised a question at an awards ceremony—since women made up fifty percent of the population, female characters should also account for half of the roles on screen.

Yet anyone with a clear head knew that was pure wishful thinking.

The gender imbalance was even more severe behind the scenes. When it came to directors, screenwriters, and producers, women accounted for less than two percent, just over ten percent, and under three percent of those roles, respectively.

"Why does this keep happening?" Scarlett asked. She knew Duke saw far more of the industry's inner workings than she did.

"It stems from a concept that is gradually becoming outdated," Duke explained simply. "Most people in the industry believe that female-led films won't sell at the box office."

Scarlett's eyes flickered. It was true that Hollywood had very few blockbuster hits shouldered entirely by women. Ever since Julia Roberts, the industry hadn't produced another truly representative leading lady in that vein—and even Julia Roberts built her success on playing the endearing, ditzy woman searching for love, a route tailored to please male audiences.

It was, undeniably, a depressing reality.

"Don't get discouraged, darling," Duke added. "Once audiences prove there is a demographic and a market for stories led and driven by women, Hollywood—being an industry that chases commercial profit—will be forced to value female actors."

Strictly speaking, the situation wasn't nearly as severe for white actresses like Scarlett Johansson. Non-white female actors—including those from the European continent—faced far more severe challenges.

While American women generally earned an average of only seventy-eight percent of what men made, for African American and Latina women, those numbers plummeted to sixty-two percent and fifty-seven percent, respectively.

This imbalance also existed in the number of non-white roles in film.

Duke had seen a study published by the Annenberg School for Communication showing that in the top 100 highest-grossing films at the North American box office in 2007, Native American and Latino characters with speaking lines or names accounted for less than five percent. Roles representing these demographics on the big screen were woefully scarce, even though more than a dozen of those 100 films were headlined by minority actors.

Of course, this was an issue affecting all of America, not just Hollywood.

In Hollywood, the ones affected were lucky individuals capable of earning six-, seven-, or eight-figure paychecks. In other sectors of America, the ones affected were women struggling to feed themselves and their families.

However, Hollywood's high profile meant it always sparked public debate.

But changing this situation—even in the highly scrutinized Hollywood—was no easy feat.

Scarlett waved a server over to clear away their plates and silverware. She poured them each a glass of water, took a sip, and looked at Duke.

"Don't you plan on producing a film from a female-driven perspective?" she asked.

Duke thought for a moment. "I do have plans for one, but the timing isn't right yet."

He had actually had his eye on a representative feminist character for a long time. However, the character was highly sensitive. If the film appeared too early, male audiences would likely struggle to accept it.

The right time would be when the feminist movement had gained more momentum and the status of women had risen higher.

At that thought, Duke couldn't help but look at Scarlett. If she wasn't already playing Black Widow, she would undoubtedly be a very suitable candidate. But having Agent Natasha Romanoff jump into an entirely different world would be a hard pill for people to swallow.

There was no rush, though. Years of consecutive, high-intensity work had left Duke feeling exhausted. Once Transformers wrapped up, he planned to take a proper break. Waiting until autumn to launch his next project wouldn't be too late.

Besides, he had already found the perfect actress for the film's most crucial female lead last year. Charlize Theron hadn't deliberated long before deciding to destroy her glamorous image and take on the role...

As for the male lead, Duke had mentioned it to Tom Cruise while hunting in Australia last year. Once he got back to Los Angeles, he could have someone formally reach out to him.

Although rumors about Tom's abnormal religious beliefs still popped up in the tabloids today, he wasn't bogged down in scandals like he used to be. He hadn't pulled any overly erratic or outrageous stunts, and even though the media still threw mud at him over the past few years, his public image wasn't nearly as terrible as it once was.

His box office appeal was formidably strong. Much like Leonardo DiCaprio, he firmly occupied one of the few Ultra-A-list spots in Hollywood.

By design, the new project's male lead was slightly weaker than the female lead. Combined with Charlize Theron's formidable personal presence, casting a male actor who wasn't strong enough to hold his own opposite her would inevitably cause a severe imbalance between the leads, just as it had in the past.

Presence was something intangible and invisible, yet it could be captured with crystal clarity through the camera lens and projected onto the big screen.