Jennifer Lawrence is opening up about those hacked Sony emails that revealed she was paid far less than her male counterparts in 2013’s “American Hustle.”
“I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early,” she wrote in Lena Dunham‘s newsletter, Lenny. “I gave up early. I didn’t want to keep fighting over millions of dollars that, frankly, due to two franchises, I don’t need.”
She continued, “I would be lying if I didn’t say there was an element of wanting to be liked that influenced my decision to close the deal without a real fight. I didn’t want to seem ‘difficult’ or ‘spoiled.’”
The 25-year-old Oscar winner added that her compensation seemed fine until she learned what her male co-stars were making.
“This could be a young person thing,” she said. “I’m sure it’s both. But this is an element of my personality that I’ve been working against for years, and based on the statistics, I don’t think I’m the only woman with this issue.”
Lawrence wonders if there’s a lingering habit of women wanting to express their opinions in the least offensive way to men.
“I’m over trying to find the ‘adorable’ way to state my opinion and still be likable,” she said, recalling an uncomfortable exchange she had with a man who worked for her. “F–k that. I don’t think I’ve ever worked for a man in charge who spent time contemplating what angle he should use to have his voice heard. It’s just heard.”
She then recalls a second hacked email calling Angelina Jolie a “spoiled brat.” Lawrence says, “For some reason, I just can’t picture someone saying that about a man.”