Benedict Cumberbatch urges others to turn down roles if there’s no equal pay for women
By Mia Johnson
Actor Benedict Cumberbatch is taking a stance on equal pay and equal opportunities for women in the entertainment industry, and he’s asking others to follow his lead.
We don’t need any Doctor Strange-like magic to help get equal pay for women, but getting a hand from Doctor Strange actor Benedict Cumberbatch would certainly help.
In the midst of the #MeToo movement, the actor revealed that he’s taking steps to ensure that opportunities for women in the entertainment industry are matching those for men. Talking to the Radio Times, Cumberbatch took a firm stance on how he’ll help to change the conversation for women’s rights.
“Equal pay and a place at the table are the central tenets of feminism,” Cumberbatch said. “Look at your quotas. Ask what women are being paid, and say, ‘If she’s not paid the same as the men, I’m not doing it’.”
Currently, the star heads his own production company where he says he and another partner are the only two males in the company. He says the focus for their next project will be featured through a “female lens” and will focus on motherhood. This will hopefully be a refreshing shift in television and film. We hope to see more women not only lead the story in front of the camera but behind the scenes as well.
Cumberbatch went on to add, “If it’s centered around my name, to get investors, then we can use that attention for a raft of female projects.”
In this regard, it’s absolutely the best that Cumberbatch is using his platform to help women get equal pay while staying somewhat in the background. Not to mention, this “inclusion riders” stance has gained more popularity since Frances McDormand gave out a call to action for inclusion during her Oscars speech earlier this year.
Since, others in the entertainment industry like Michael B. Jordan, Brie Larson, and Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have also taken it upon themselves to push for equal pay and equal work opportunities for women.
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Cumberbatch’s current series, Patrick Melrose, which he produced and stars in, is currently airing Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime.