Gal Gadot reportedly earned $300,000 for Wonder Woman, while Henry Cavill, as Superman, earned $14 million for Man of Steel. Update: Reports that Henry Cavill earned $14 m for Man of Steel are unconfirmed.
– Elle dropped a Hollywood bombshell Tuesday: Gal Gadot made a piddly $300,000 for Wonder Woman while Henry Cavill got a staggering $14 million for Man of Steel. This striking example of the gender pay gap sent shock waves through Twitter despite being, in the words of one inside source, "ridiculous." According to the Hollywood Reporter, the figures cited in Elle were "cobbled together" from multiple publications and weren't comparing the same things. Vanity Fair explains the $300,000 figure is Gadot's pre-negotiated base salary, while Cavill's reported payday would have included post-release bonuses. Still, no one can verify Cavill ever got anything close to $14 million. One source says of the figure: “It certainly isn’t for one picture. That’s insane.” Actors leading their first big blockbuster typically get something more in line with Gadot's reported base salary. Chris Hemsworth made $150,000 for Thor, Adam Driver got $500,000 or so for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Chris Evans is said to have made about what Gadot did for his first outing as Captain America. In fact, sources say that an "apples to apples comparison" between contracts for Gadot and Cavill show she made the same, if not slightly more, upfront as her fellow DC hero. And with the success of Wonder Woman, bonuses and contract re-negotiations should soon kick in. Elle updated its original story, adding: "Although the pay gap persists in Hollywood, this example is not adequately supported by the information available."