Executives’ shocking reaction to Sienna Miller’s equal pay request

Sienna Miller received a shocking reaction after she requested equal pay. Photo / Getty Images

Sienna Miller might be a well-known actress now but before she reached her A-list status she was offered “less than half” the salary of her male co-star.

Speaking to Britain’s Vogue magazine, the starlet said she was offered “less than half” the salary a man was being given for a stage role in New York City several years ago but when she raised the issue with an “extremely powerful” Broadway executive, she was stunned by their response.

She told the magazine: “I said to the producer, who was extremely powerful, it’s not about money — it’s about fairness and respect, thinking they’d come back and say, ‘Of course, of course.’ But they didn’t.

“They just said, ‘Well f*** off then.’ ”

Miller - who declined to name the play because she didn’t “want to be mean” - initially “felt terrible and embarrassed” but ultimately the confrontation proved to be a “pivotal moment”.

She said: “I realised I had every right to be equally subsidised for the work that I would have done.”

Though she remained tight-lipped about the play in question, Miller has only starred in a total of two shows on Broadway – Cabaret in 2014 and After Miss Julie in 2009.

Years later, the late Chadwick Boseman famously reallocated some of his salary so the actress’ fee could be met on their 2019 movie 21 Bridges and Sienna praised her co-star - who died of cancer in 2020 - for his “extraordinary” gesture.

Sienna Miller and Chadwick Boseman had a special friendship. Photo / Getty Images

She recalled: “[I told him] ‘What you did was extraordinary and meant the world.’

“He came up to me when we wrapped and said, ‘You got paid what you deserved.’ ”

The Anatomy of a Scandal actress - who has 10-year-old daughter Marlowe with former partner Tom Sturridge - is pleased with the way the industry has changed in recent times.

She said: “[Actors who are] 10 years younger have the word ‘no’ in their language in a way that I didn’t.

“[Now] if you say, ‘I don’t feel comfortable’ in front of any form of executive, they’re s***ting their pants. You’re included in a conversation about your level of comfort. It’s changed everything.”