Jennifer Lawrence: Hollywood's gender gap on pay has her 'over' trying to be 'likable'

Jennifer Lawrence "didn't want to seem 'difficult' or 'spoiled'" while negotiating her "American Hustle" deal. Those days are gone, she says.

Oct. 13, 2015 11:03 AM PT

Sounds like the Sony hack that revealed a major gender gap in “American Hustle” paychecks changed Jennifer Lawrence’s life more than the naked-picture hack that saw her personal pictures for Nicholas Hoult go public back in 2014.

The latter simply made her angry. The former has her angry and resolved to do things differently moving forward, when it comes to negotiations and professional opinions.

“It’s hard for me to speak about my experience as a working woman because I can safely say my problems aren’t exactly relatable,” she writes in the newsletter Lenny.

“When the Sony hack happened and I found out how much less I was being paid than the lucky people [who were male], I didn’t get mad at Sony. I got mad at myself. I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early. I didn’t want to keep fighting over millions of dollars that, frankly, due to two franchises, I don’t need. (I told you it wasn’t relatable, don’t hate me).”

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Lawrence and Amy Adams got less on the back end than Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale and Jeremy Renner -- the Daily Beast had the emails -- even though J. Law was the white-hot one at the time, coming off “The Hunger Games.” And apparently the “Silver Linings Playbook” Oscar-winner started out getting even less than Adams, until a late change was made in her deal.

“I would be lying if I didn’t say there was an element of wanting to be liked that influenced my decision to close the deal without a real fight,” she admits. “I didn’t want to seem ‘difficult’ or ‘spoiled.’ At the time, that seemed like a fine idea, until I saw the payroll on the Internet and realized every man I was working with definitely didn’t worry about being ‘difficult’ or ‘spoiled.’”

To make her point, she notes there was another actress who in one Sony email about another negotiation was called a “spoiled brat.” Says Lawrence, “For some reason, I just can’t picture someone saying that about a man.” (The 25-year-old doesn’t name the other actress, but it was Angelina Jolie, and the phrase was actually “a marginally talented spoiled brat.”)

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Whether she’s leading an indie film or starring in a top box-office saga, Jennifer Lawrence is one to be watched. We highlight the movie darling’s beginnings and upcoming endeavors. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

2/12

Her performance in “Winter’s Bone” was so riveting, she earned an Oscar nod. And unlike in the film, Lawrence wasn’t afraid to put her good looks on display when she arrived at the 2011 Academy Awards in a figure-hugging red Calvin Klein gown. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences tapped Lawrence to reveal the 84th Oscar nominations alongside academy President Tom Sherak. She donned a Prada blue/black eyelet outfit from the spring/summer 2011 collection for the occasion. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

4/12

In her first collaboration with a luxury brand, Lawrence was named the new face of French fashion house Dior, replacing actress Mila Kunis. She followed in the fashionable footsteps of Charlize Theron, Marion Cotillard and Natalie Portman. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

5/12

Her portrayal of Tiffany Maxwell in “Silver Linings Playbook” earned Lawrence her first Oscar for leading actress. As she was called to stage for her win, she took a tumble on the Oscar stairway in her Dior Haute Couture gown - but it seemed to make her all the more lovable. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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When Lawrence attended the 2014 Golden Globes on Jan. 12, she made an impression on the red carpet with a puffy Dior gown (not to mention a photo bomb on Taylor Swift) and on the stage when she took home the supporting actress Golden Globe for her role in the movie “American Hustle.” (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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The cast of “American Hustle” took home the most important accolade of the evening at the 2014 Screen Actors Guild Awards: the best cast prize. The win marked Lawrence’s second SAG Award after her 2013 lead actor win for “Silver Linings Playbook.” (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

8/12

In perhaps one of the most memorable moments of the 2014 Oscars, and certainly the most viral, host Ellen DeGeneres recruited a who’s who of Hollywood, including Lawrence, to snap a Twitter portrait. The pic, retweeted by more than half a million people, knocked Twitter offline for a few moments. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Making it official (for the second time), Lawrence and actor Nicholas Hoult split in August 2013. The pair, who met while filming “X-Men: First Class,” had a difficult time making their relationship work due to their busy, not to mention highly successful, schedules. (Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images; Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Snowlodge)

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What began as a rumor proved to be true after it was confirmed that Lawrence and Coldplay frontman (and Gwyneth Paltrow’s ex) are an item. The new couple have yet to be publicly photographed together. Pictured, Lawrence attends the iHeartRadio Music Festival, in which Martin performed. (Isaac Brekken/Getty Images for Clear Channel; Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Clear Channel )

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Come Christmas 2015, Lawrence will star in director David O. Russell’s rag-to-riches tale “Joy,” centered on Miracle Mop inventor Joy Mangano. Lawrence said Russell approached her through a text, and she happily obliged. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images; Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

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Lawrence, with Evan Peters, suited up to play Mystique a third time in Bryan Singer’s “X-Men: Apocalypse.”

(Alan Markfield / AP)

“I’m over trying to find the ‘adorable’ way to state my opinion and still be likable!” Lawrence declares, but she gives an example that shows -- equal-pay act or not -- just how steep that hill might be.

“A few weeks ago at work, I spoke my mind and gave my opinion in a clear ... way; no aggression, just blunt,” Lawrence writes. “The man I was working with (actually, he was working for me) said, ‘Whoa! We’re all on the same team here!’ As if I was yelling at him. I was so shocked because nothing that I said was personal, offensive, or, to be honest, wrong.

“All I hear and see all day are men speaking their opinions, and I give mine in the same exact manner, and you would have thought I had said something offensive.”

It’s OK, Jennifer, you’re hard to hate. And your arguments are far from offensive -- or wrong. Just pick up the tab if we ever go to lunch, OK? We could relate to that.

Follow Christie D’Zurilla on Twitter @theCDZ and Google+. Follow the Ministry of Gossip on Twitter @LATcelebs.

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