'Sharknado 5' Star Was Paid More Than Wonder Woman's Gal Gadot

Gender pay inequality has always been an issue in Hollywood, but it has recently become a hot-button topic as actresses in the industry have been vocal about their own experiences and the problem’s deep misogyny. Over the last year or so no less than Jessica Chastain (who most recently through shade at CBS for lack of female leads), Brie Larson, Viola Davis, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Watson, Kristen Stewart, Meryl Streep, Natalie Portman, Carey Mulligan, Charlize Theron, Gwyneth Paltrow, Patricia Arquette, Rooney Mara and, of course, Oprah have expressed their concern, and personal experiences, with Gender pay inequality.

READ MORE: Jennifer Lawrence Talks Gender Pay Inequality; Joins Darren Aronofsky’s Next Film

The gist of this latest “controversy” is that back in 2014, when Gal Gadot signed her three-picture deal with Warner Bros to star as Wonder Woman, she was going to earn $300,000 for each DCEU film she was going to be a part of – “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” “Wonder Woman” and the upcoming “Justice League.” Yes, you can say she was pretty much an unknown actress before this summer’s monstrous success, in fact, nobody thought “Wonder Woman” would hit such pay dirt, but it did and she will be generously compensated for the sequel I’m sure.

READ MORE: Anne Hathaway Reflects On The ‘Internalized Mysogyny’ Of Working With Female Directors

However, comparing Gadot’s salary to, let’s say, ‘Sharknado 5‘s Ian Ziering still gives us interesting results because, well, it seems like Ziering actually made more, much more. According to the THR, Ziering made $500,000 for “Sharknado 5,” a full $200,000 more than what Gadot.

READ MORE: Robin Wright Didn’t Get The Equal Pay She Wanted On ‘House Of Cards’

Sure, Gadot had never played the lead in any English-language film before, but she had appeared in two ‘Fast & Furious‘ films and she was about to be the leading star of a major action blockbuster and Ziering is, well, the star of “Sharknado 5: Global Swarming,” which, by the way, has the chuckle-inducing tagline “Make America Bait Again.”

READ MORE: Jessica Chastain Speaks Out Against Pay Inequality In Hollywood

Ziering has been playing Finn Shepard in the “Sharknado” series since 2013 and I must say I am impressed with the fact that he can command such a salary for a Syfy franchise that has cinematically run its course and been relegated to cable TV infamy. I’m sure Gadot will be highly compensated for the upcoming sequel to “Wonder Woman” (and let’s hope her agents take WB to town), but this news no doubt adds to the issue that Chastain, Lawrence, and company have been fighting for a long time. If it all just seems all too unbelievably insulting, wait til you see the ‘Sharknado 5’ trailer and try and hold your disgust.

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