Jennifer Lawrence is still lapping up support following her essay "Why Do I Make Less Than My Co-Stars," which called out Hollywood for paying women less than men for movies. Lawrence was particularly commenting on being paid significantly less than her "American Hustle" co-stars.
"Jeremy Renner, Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper all fought and succeeded in negotiating powerful deals for themselves," wrote Lawrence. "If anything, I'm sure they were commended for being fierce and tactical, while I was busy worrying about coming across as a brat and not getting my fair share."
Though some critics accused the 25-year-old Oscar winner of making unnecessary noise about her salary, actress Carey Mulligan is praising the actress for speaking up about wage inequality in the entertainment industry.
During an interview with Deadline, the 30-year-old credited Lawrence for bringing up the discussion about the gender pay gap, saying the conversation is "long overdue."
"I think it's a good thing for someone like Jennifer to speak out; it means an awful lot to women," Mulligan told Deadline. "Sure, there's been cynicism toward her speaking out and the fact that she makes a lot of money, but she is completely and selflessly rising above that. [The discrepancy] is inherently unfair and she has an enormous platform to speak out against it.
"Men in Hollywood look up to her because she is powerful. She's using that platform to correct something that isn't right. It's a long overdue conversation and it's admirable what she has done. This is an age-old issue that's in every part of society."
"The Great Gatsby" star also mentioned the importance of female actresses taking on strong female roles, citing Lawrence's portrayal of Katniss Everdeen in "The Hunger Games." Mulligan said Lawrence's role in the films is an excellent example for teenagers and young adults seeking an "incredibly strong female role model."
However, Mulligan herself said she isn't too sure if she would take up the chance to star in a big franchise film.
"Those films have come my way in the past," said Mulligan. "The style doesn't appeal to me. The Marvel films — while I enjoy watching these movies — the material doesn't speak to me. With these types of franchise films there's always the conversation of starring in more than one film and I'm not interested in playing the same character in more than one film. What's appealing to me is playing different characters."
