Source: Steven Ferdman / Getty
It has been a month since we lost Chadwick Boseman, but the stories of his greatness are still being shared.
In an upcoming tribute issue of Empire Magazine dedicated to the late actor, Sienna Miller, who starred alongside Boseman in the cop thriller, 21 Bridges shared how he looked out for her in a tremendous way. It’s no secret that there is a huge disparity in how much money male actors get paid compared to their female counterparts, and Boseman was well aware that.
Miller revealed in the story that Boseman, who served as a producer on the film, reached out to her because he really wanted her to be in the movie to take on the role of detective Frankie Burns. Miller decided she wanted to work with Boseman despite not wanting to work anymore at the time.
“He produced 21 Bridges and had been really active in trying to get me to do it. He was a fan of my work, which was thrilling because it was reciprocated from me to him tenfold. So he approached me to do it, he offered me this film, and it was at a time when I really didn’t want to work anymore. I’d been working non-stop, and I was exhausted, but then I wanted to work with him.”
Miller also shared how the iconic actor went out of his way for her by helping her get a higher pay packet once she signed onto the film by donating part of his salary.
“I didn’t know whether or not to tell this story, and I haven’t yet. But I am going to tell it because I think it’s a testament to who he was. This was a pretty big-budget film, and I know that everybody understands about the pay disparity in Hollywood, but I asked for a number that the studio wouldn’t get to. And because I was hesitant to go back to work and my daughter was starting school, and it was an inconvenient time, I said, ‘I’ll do it if I’m compensated in the right way.’ And Chadwick ended up donating some of his salary to get me to the number that I had asked for. He said that that was what I deserved to be paid.”
Miller revealed she was blown away by Boseman’s unprecedented gesture that rarely happens in the film industry.
“It was about the most astounding thing that I’ve experienced. That kind of thing just doesn’t happen. He said, ‘You’re getting paid what you deserve, and what you’re worth.’ It’s just unfathomable to imagine another man in that town behaving that graciously or respectfully. In the aftermath of this, I’ve told other male actor friends of mine that story, and they all go very, very quiet and go home and probably have to sit and think about things for a while. But there was no showiness, it was, ‘Of course I’ll get you to that number because that’s what you should be paid.'”
This is just one of the many reasons why Boseman’s sudden passing hit the world so hard. You can read more about Miller’s remembrance of Chadwick Boseman in the upcoming tribute issue here. The magazine goes on sale Thursday, October 1, and you can preorder it right now.
Photo: Steven Ferdman / Getty
