In a new interview, actress Emmy Rossum opened up about her big contract negotiation that took place while she was filming for the show she’s well-known for, Shameless.
“I certainly was never trying to make any kind of grand political statement,” she admitted. “I was only trying to do what felt right.”
In 2016, Rossum threatened to leave the show if she wasn’t offered more money than her co-star and on-screen father, William H. Macy. Rossum, who plays one of the biggest roles on Shameless, knew that the risk was painful but necessary.
“The idea of not continuing on Shameless was not one I ever wanted to entertain,” the actress explained. “So when it all worked out, I was thrilled — thrilled my small victory was part of a much larger tide. But my story is not unique. It was just public. Wage disparity becomes even more pronounced when you factor in age, race, body size, and orientation.”
Macy, at the time, did not hesitate to support Rossum, who was getting paid a fraction of his earnings for acting on the same show.
“To have the man counterpart on my show be like, ‘Yes, she does deserve this and more’ was so validating,” Rossum had said in a previous 2017 interview. “And after it became public, it was a quick resolution.”
In 2018, she explained, “When you love your show and you love the people you work with, obviously you want to keep doing it. … We won, and so many people were empowered because of it. I stand with all the women who are fighting for pay equity and everything that they deserve — and that goes not just in our very little insular industry, that goes for government and doctors and nurses and teachers and farmworkers.”
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