Westworld: Thandie Newton to get equal pay for Westworld

Westworld looks to bridge gender pay gap with its female stars.

Yes! There is wonderful news following last night’s season two premiere of Westworld. What better way to kick off the season than with the news that Thandie Newton will be getting equal pay for her work on the drama series. Newton’s announcement comes after that of Evan Rachel Wood who recently stated that HBO is matching her salary.

This is wonderful news considering the incredible, badass work both Newton and Wood bring to Westworld and its story. Newton discussed the importance of bridging the pay gap in an interview with Variety.

"“They’re all happening right now, and yeah, we’re all equal across the board. It’s really exciting. It’s unprecedented. It’s — goodness; it shatters so much calcified pain, resentment, frustration. It just shatters it.”"

Newton also stated that she will not take part in any projects that do not give her equal pay. You go, girl! She went on to say that HBO is paving the way for other networks to follow their lead and start paying both males and females equally.

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The push to close the pay gap is due to Reese Witherspoon advocating for it to the HBO President of Programming, Casey Bloys, who went through all their shows to ensure there are no disparities. Way to go, Reese!

While on The Tonight Show, Wood shared her excitement over equal pay and stated: “it only took 25 years.” Wood has been acting since she was a kid and told Fallon that she has never been paid the same as her male counterparts. HBO has most certainly set a precedent, and we hope that other networks will follow in their footsteps to eliminate pay disparities once and for all!