Jada Pinkett-Smith is speaking out in support of Taraji P. Henson and shining the light on her own experiences with unequal pay in Hollywood.
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In a new interview for NPR’s It’s Been a Minute podcast, Pinkett-Smith said her “heart broke” to see “The Color Purple” star break down while talking about her fight for fair pay over the course of her career. However she did say how “courageous” Henson was for speaking on it in the way that she did.
“One of the things with Taraji is that she is the breadwinner of her family. Her pressures would be different than mine. I have to put that out front, because if it’s time to walk away, that’s not always the solution. Because what people don’t understand with us as Black entertainers, we carry a lot of people with us,” Pinkett-Smith said.
She went on to detail how some people would try to rationalize her getting paid a certain amount by saying: “‘Well, you don’t need it. You’re married to Will [Smith].’” She explained that it’s because of that that began to reconsider doing so much work in front of the camera and set her sights on sharpening her skills behind it instead.
“It’s not to say that I won’t get in front of the camera,” Pinkett-Smith said. “But what it takes for me to get in front of the camera, it’s more. Just in regards to the kind of roles that I want to play or that interest me. And I’m thinking about directing.”
The issue of fair pay has been ongoing for Black actors for years now and has been recently taking over the timelines thanks to folks like Henson, Gabrielle Union, Keke Palmer, Mo’Nique and more who have all shared their peace about their fights as of late and demanding better treatment.
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