Here Are 13 Actors Who Demanded Better For Their Female Co-stars

Gender inequality and sexism have plagued Hollywood for years but now men are standing up for their female co-stars. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee noted that "if you look at the raw gap between what men and women are paid in Hollywood at that 'superstar' level, it’s an over $2.4 million difference. If you then throw all of the economist 'bag of tricks' at it to try and figure out why–everything from how many Twitter followers they have to how long they were involved in the profession, to how much time their filming took, what stunts they did, and all kinds of other things–we can get that 'down' to about $1 million." That's no small number. And it's not just about money, but women have had to face a lot of sexist challenges along the way in their careers. Nowadays men are standing up for their co-stars and making sure people get what they deserve. They've been using their power and privilege to help their co-stars. According to BuzzFeed, some of these men include:

1. Chadwick Boseman

Boseman gave away a huge chunk of his earnings so that his 21 Bridges co-star, Sienna Miller, could be paid what she "deserved to be paid."

2. Harry Styles

When his deaf co-star Lauren Ridloff had to film a scene with her eyes closed for Eternals, Styles suggested that he tap her shoulder to gesture that the director called cut so she wouldn't have to wait for her interpreter to run over.

3. Will Smith

Smith personally paid his King Richard co-stars including his onscreen daughters, Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton, bonuses with his own money.

4. Vin Diesel

Michelle Rodriguez refused to do a cheating storyline and threatened to leave Fast & Furious. Diesel backed her up and helped change the storyline. 

5. William H. Macy

Emmy Rossum asked to be paid more than Macy and refused to sign on for the eighth season of Shameless until that happened. This was to make up for the previous seasons where she was paid less. Macy himself fully supported her demands. 

6. Don Cheadle

Cheadle called out body language expert Mandy O’Brien for accusing Brie Larson of "trying to dominate" her male co-stars, as well as flirting with others with her "bedroom eyes". Cheadle called the video "some of the funniest stuff I've ever heard."

7. Roger Kumble

The Cruel Intentions director worked with Reese Witherspoon to change the script in a way that she could play a character she'd be proud to portray.

8. Jordan Peele 

The comedian/director created characters to smash stereotypes that were typically used to depict Black women in horror movies.

9. John Boyega 

The actor's Star Wars: The Last Jedi co-star Kelly Marie Tran was bullied online, so Boyega clapped back saying, "If you don't like Star Wars or the characters, understand that there are decisions makers, and harassing the actors/actresses will do nothing."

10. Edward Herrmann 

The actor helped mentor a young Alexis Bledel in her first role on Gilmore Girls. Bledel told Vulture, "Ed was so knowledgeable about theater, TV, and film, and what I remember most is how he would share so much of this knowledge. He loved talking about it, so we had those long Friday-night dinner scenes where we’d be sitting at a table all day, and he would share so much."

11. Matt Shakman 

The WandaVision director asked the lead, Elizabeth Olsen, to help with the design for her new Scarlet Witch costume because "she knows what she has to do better than anybody, having done this for years now."

12. Samuel L. Jackson

The actor helped take the pressure of joining the MCU off Brie Larson while filming Captain Marvel. He told Entertainment Tonight, "Part of my job being with her is to tell her, 'Look, create this character that you want and make her as dynamic as you want her to be. And Marvel takes care of the rest.'"

13.  D.B. Woodside and Patrick J. Adams

The Suits actors stood up for co-star Meghan Markle who was accused of bullying. They praised her for the kindness she showed them over the years.