Women like Mary Pickford walked so that stars like Margot Robbie could run.
The lamentable pitfall of pay disparity remains perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of Hollywood even today. Admittedly, the film industry has made giant leaps by shedding its old, orthodox ways and transforming into a more rejuvenated version of itself. But there’s still much ground to cover when it comes to gender pay parity and sundry other such important issues.
Despite the tide of change yet to wash over showbiz, it’s thanks to pioneers like Pickford and Alice Guy-Blaché (the first woman to take over the director’s chair), that the industry has come this close in bridging the gap between the unjust treatment of male and female actors and filmmakers.
How Mary Pickford Transfigured the Blueprint of Hollywood
When films and televisions were still newly crafted inventions and the fabled Tinseltown was only beginning to germinate, pay parity between men and women was hardly a thing back then, let alone a priority. Even though women contributed much more actively than they were accredited for, their efforts remained obscure at large and wildly unacknowledged (via Far Out Magazine).
Then came Canadian actress and trailblazer, Gladys Louise Smith, professionally known as Mary Pickford, who turned out to be a knight in shining armor for generations of stars to come. With a dazzling career spanning roughly five decades, the late legend transformed the trajectory of Hollywood in more ways than one.
One of the 36 members who founded the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Pickford relished her position as the highest-earning actress for a few years and only raked in more bounty after signing a motion picture deal with Paramount co-founder Adolph Zukor & the Famous Players Film Company (via Woman Film Pioneers Project).
Thanks to her impeccable skill and talent, Pickford went from making $1000 a week to ten times the number which comes down to approximately $15,000 a year (adjusted for inflation).
Sure, that would seem like loose change if you compare it with the highest-paid actress in recent times – last year it was Margot Robbie who banked $59 million in 2023 alone (via The Times) – but this is the 20th century we’re talking about. Making $15k per annum was no walk in the park, least of all during the ’20s and ’30s.
Besides, Robbie probably wouldn’t have gotten where she did had “America’s sweetheart” of the silent film era not single-handedly revolutionized the industry back then.
The Meteoric Rise of Margot Robbie Thanks to Barbie
After her debut in a 2008 Australian action film titled Vigilnate, Robbie, 34, got her big break owing to Martin Scorcese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, wherein she starred beside industry juggernaut Leonardo DiCaprio.
Following the 2013 biographical dark comedy, the actress and producer signed film after smashing film, including Focus with Will Smith, David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, and the critically acclaimed sports mockumentary I, Tonya, which landed Robbie her first Oscar nomination.
Then came a few hits and misses like 2019’s Bombshell, (in its defense, though a box-office flop, the movie still earned favorable reviews from fans and critics) and 2022’s Babylon. But thanks to Barbie, Robbie was able to make up for her previous losses owing to the handsome remuneration she received after leading Greta Gerwig’s crown jewel with Ryan Gosling.
Not only did Barbie gross a record-breaking $1.4 billion at the worldwide box office (via Box Office Mojo), but Variety also reported that the existential comedy about the famous Mattel toy alone garnered the Australian actress $50 million. So, to say that Robbie made up for her prior box office bombs would be an understatement.
Barbie is available for streaming on Max and can be rented on Apple TV+.
