The totally depressing reason Keira Knightley is willing to take a pay cut

Actress Keira Knightley
(Image credit: Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)

Hollywood's gender pay-gap problem has garnered considerable attention lately, with big stars like Jennifer Lawrence publicly decrying the way the industry treats women, but according to two-time Oscar nominee Keira Knightley, things aren't so different over in the Broadway world.

Following her debut last week in Broadway's Therese Raquin, Knightley revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that she agreed to be paid the scale rate — the minimum set by a union — of $1,300 a week because she wanted the opportunity to play a multifaceted female lead. The play, an adaption of Emile Zola's 1867 novel, follows Therese as a woman stuck in an unhappy marriage.

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Stephanie Talmadge

Stephanie is an editorial assistant at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Modern Luxury Media.