Talk about Black Excellence! Actress Octavia Spencer recently revealed how NBA Champion Lebron James helped her get equal pay for their upcoming Netflix series about Madame C.J. Walker.
The “Hidden Figures” star credits the LA Lakers player with helping her secure equal pay on their new Netflix series biopic on the black entrepreneur. While speaking at a Hollywood Foreign Press Association panel at Sundance on Saturday, Spencer spoke openly about how James helped her get equal pay for her work.
“I have to say, when I was negotiating my deal for Madam C.J., LeBron James had to intervene.” “We need all our male counterparts to be in the fight with us,” she added, according to Indie Wire.
Spencer has spoken out before about how actress Jessica Chastain helped her secure five times her asking salary on a recent project.
“I am making 5x my salary because Jessica stood with me,” Spencer tweeted in last January. “I don’t know what or if it cost her anything as far as her rate, I just know she stood with me, and I am eternally grateful.”
During the panel, Spencer also addressed how important it was for actors and actresses to stand together to ensure equal pay in the industry.
“I think my goal is to make sure that all women of color get equal pay, and all women get equal pay,” Spencer said. “The only way to do it is to have these conversations, to talk numbers with your costars…we also need advocates and allies in negotiating.”
