Susan Sarandon Says Paul Newman Once Gave Her Half His Salary So She’d Have Equal Pay
Somewhere in Hollywood, former E! hostess Catt Sadler just passed her phone over to former co-worker Jason Kennedy and is now drumming her manicured nails on the coffee shop’s table and glaring at him while he watches this video. During an interview with the BBC, political firebrand and Debra Messing voodoo doll owner Susan Sarandon told a heartwarming tale about dearly departed Hollywood royalty Paul Newman. She says that Paul once gave her half of his salary from a movie in the interest of equal pay. Menz, take note. Cool Hand Luke was as handsome on the inside as on the out.
Susan starred alongside Paul and Gene Hackman in 1998’s Twilight (think less sparkly vampires more older showbiz people experiencing sexual intrigue). Referencing something Emma Stone revealed about how her male co-stars have taken pay cuts so there would be parity with hers, Susan says something similar happened between her and Paul. Despite receiving equal billing on the movie’s poster, Paul and Gene were making way more than her.
“That happened to me with Paul Newman at one point, when I did a film with him ages ago.”
She continued: “They said it was ‘favoured nations’, but they only meant the two guys.
“He stepped forward and said, ‘Well I’ll give you part of mine’. So, yeah, he was a gem.”
Susan also talked about the cold reality of the casting couch, and opined something that is surely going to cause someone’s (*cough* Debra Messing *cough*) eyeballs to fry in their skull after reading it.
On International Women’s Day, Susan Sarandon also told 5 live that there will “always be a casting couch” in Hollywood.
“I think what will go away is the unwanted exchange.
“But I think that giving yourself sexually, or being drawn to power and wanting to have sex with someone that’s in power, is also a choice.
Don’t get her wrong, allegedly sexually assaulting showbiz power blobs are still “despicable.”
“What we don’t want to have is being exploited and have the Harvey Weinsteins of the world holding it over your head and holding it over your project.
“That is the most despicable.”
It should be pointed out that Paul Newman was an all-around class act. He was married to actress wife Joanne Woodward for 50+ years. He started a food company where all the proceeds went to children’s charities. He was obviously a feminist. And have you ever seen his fineness in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof? Ok, he may have secretly been a drunken philander but nobody’s perfect. He probably should have been president as opposed to someone like our current bewigged madman. Yes, this post might have turned into an anti-Trump one but I’d like to think that Susan and Paul would be supportive of that.
Pic: Paramount Pictures