Susan Sarandon has revealed that Paul Newman helped bridge the pay gap between male and female wages on the 1998 film Twilight.

The actress said that she discovered that Newman and co-star Gene Hackman were getting paid more than her - but the same as each other.

"They said it was 'favoured nations', but they only meant the two guys," she told the BBC. "He [Newman] stepped forward and said, 'Well, I'll give you part of mine'. So, yeah, he was a gem."

"Favoured nations" is an industry term meaning an agreement between a producer and an actor, ensuring actors are given the same terms as their co-stars.

Newman, who is famous for Cool Hand Luke and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, died in 2008. He has the sixth-most Academy Award nominations of all time but was also known for his political activism.

Thelma and Louise star Sarandon told this story on International Women's Day, while promoting her new film Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story. She said there will "always be a casting couch" in Hollywood but "what we don't want to have is being exploited and have the Harvey Weinsteins of the world holding it over your head and holding it over your project. That is the most despicable".