It is not often that the leading women actors are asked to opine on gender inequality in films. But when it did happen at a forum at Cannes, there was much wisdom on display.
At the UN Women panel, Salma Hayek appeared alongside Parker Posey, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Christine Vachon. And addressing to the disparity in pay between the genders, Hayek said: “It’s simple, plain ignorance. They think the only value we bring to a movie is as an object. The only kind of film where women make more money than men is porno. It’s not funny.”
Speaking of how to tackle problems of equality in the film business, Hayek said: “We can’t stand as victims and say we need to make them aware of women. Because guess what? They don’t care. There’s only one thing that inspires the people and the power in the industry, and that’s money. They have to understand how powerful we are economically. We have the power to show them we can save this film industry.”
Posey, who co-stars in Woody Allen’s film Irrational Man, suggested that “we live in very masculine times”, rather than a progressive era, the Guardian reported.
She said it was a shame that the romcom – one of the rare film genres where women are generally guaranteed the lead role – was no longer a respected genre.
(More: at The Telegraph // The Guardian // The Independent )
