We need to stop assuming everything we read in a headline as truth. Otherwise it leads to wild misunderstandings posing as (don’t say alternative facts) facts. You perhaps read the viral Elle article that posited Gal Gadot earned just $300,000 for playing Wonder Woman while Henry Cavill received $14 million for Man of Steel. “The most compelling DC villain is the pay gap,” wrote Lauren Duca in a since-deleted tweet.
While it’s easy to believe that wage gap in Hollywood, the stat itself doesn’t hold up. That Cavill made $14 million remains unverifiable. Meanwhile, Gadot’s $300,000 figures appears to be a base salary she signed with Warner Bros. for three films—Batman v. Superman, Wonder Woman, and the upcoming Justice League.
In addition, that $300,000 is the same salary given to Chris Evans for the first Captain America movie and more than what some of his Avengers teammates made in their first team-up. While Gadot is assuredly an A-list title thanks to Wonder Woman’s success, her biggest role beforehand was as a Fast and Furious supporting character.
Hollywood has established the following strategy for paying actors in superhero films: identify unproven talent, pay them low base salary, then incentivize them with box-office rewards if they succeed. Cavill’s dubious $14 million figure would come primarily on the backend then. In other words, no way he received a $14 million paycheck to play Superman.
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Contrary to reports, Gadot’s Batman v. Superman costar Henry Cavill didn’t make anywhere near $14 million to play Superman in Man of Steel, an eye-popping figure that makes Gadot’s paycheck seem paltry in comparison. […] Were it true, it would be evidence of a sexist double standard, but a source tells me that the relatively unknown Cavill made a six-figure paycheck comparable to Gadot’s for Man of Steel and that his co-star Amy Adams, a much bigger name, pulled in seven figures to play his Lois Lane.
But you shouldn’t worry about Gadot. Her massive payday is coming. As mentioned above the Justice League movie will end her three-movie deal. With plans of Wonder Woman 2 already discussed, she can negotiate a contract she’s proven to be worth now.
