Actor Sophie Turner recently revealed that her “Game of Thrones” co-star Kit Harington makes more money than her ― and she’s OK with that.
“Kit [Harington, who plays her brother Jon Snow, the King in the North] got more money than me,” Turner told Harper’s Bazaar UK in the magazine’s April issue.
“But he had a bigger storyline,” she continued. “And for the last series, he had something crazy like 70 night shoots, and I didn’t have that many. I was like, ‘You know what... you keep that money.’”
It’s not clear whether Turner meant Harington has always made more money than her ― “Game of Thrones” is about to start its eighth season, and both actors have been cast members since the beginning ― or if she was referring to a specific period in the HBO show’s run.
Turner told Harper’s Bazaar that demanding equal pay can get “a little tricky,” simply because actors don’t always all do the same job. Historically, however, the gender pay gap in Hollywood and media has been and remains a real issue, one that has come up repeatedly over the past few years. Actors including “The Crown’s” Claire Foy and “American Hustle’s” Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence were paid less than their male co-stars for the same work (or sometimes even more work).
Although Turner doesn’t see an issue with the pay gap between her and Harington, she said she is working to improve diversity on set. For each job Turner takes, she said, she insists on an inclusion rider that ensures 50/50 gender parity in the workforce.
“Now, you see women in the camera departments, producing, directing,” she said. “It’s exciting.”
Head over to Harper’s Bazaar UK to read Turner’s full interview.