In this era where streaming services are vying for the attention of the public with numerous offerings of their choosing, there was a time when Netflix was bringing guaranteed smash hits regularly. Among them, one of the biggest hits in their efforts was Robin Wright’s and Kevin Spacey’s political drama series House of Cards.
The show was such a successful endeavor by the streaming giant that it became one of the shows that put it on the map as a certified production company for quality content. Despite its success and fame that the stars felt too, Wright was upset with the fact that she was being paid less than her male co-star. Thus, she used the popularity of her character to threaten Netflix to raise her salary or she would go public with this fact.
How Robin Wright Got A Salary Hike For House Of Cards After She Threatened Netflix
During the early days when Netflix had just entered the streaming market, it was in dire need of shows that would entice the public to avail of its service, and among the numerous shows that they offered, House of Cards became its flagship series. This, in turn, made the lead star Kevin Spacey a lot of money, and the female lead Robin Wright a lot of fame along with fortune.
But when it came to their payments, Wright noticed she was being paid less than her male co-star, and she wasn’t going to let that slide.
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In a past interview with Marie Claire, the Forrest Gump actress opened up about the time she found out the minimal pay gap between her and Spacey. She said that since both their characters were equally as important, she deserved equal compensation. Thus, she went to executives at Netflix and blackmailed them in a way.
She threatened them that if they didn’t agree to pay her as much as they did her co-star, then she would reveal the salary disparity to the public. She said:
“I was like, ‘I want to be paid the same as Kevin.’It was the perfect paradigm. There are very few films or TV shows where the male, the patriarch, and the matriarch are equal, and they are in House of Cards. I was looking at the statistics and Claire Underwood’s character was more popular than [Frank’s] for a period of time.So I capitalized on it. I was like, ‘You better pay me or I’m going to go public.’ And they did.”
Considering just how integral and popular the character of Claire Underwood was for the series, Netflix didn’t have to think too much about her “request” for equal pay.
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What Was House Of Cards About?
Considered to be one of the most exceptional political thrillers in the small-screen entertainment space, the Netflix Original series House of Cards was a game-changer for the streaming service.
The series follows the journey of Frank Underwood, an amoral politician and Democrat from South Carolina‘s 5th congressional district, and his wife Claire. The duo are on the trail to rise to the top of the government and take revenge on the people in the political scene who deceived and betrayed Frank in the past.
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House of Cards, streaming on Netflix.
