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Natalie Portman hits out over Hollywood gender pay gap

The Israeli-born actress reveals she was paid only a third of what her co-star Ashton Kutcher earned for the 2011 film comedy, No Strings Attached

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Natalie Portman, fresh from her BAFTA nomination this week, has attacked Hollywood’s stark gender pay gap.

In an interview for Marie Claire’s February cover story, the Israeli-born actress revealed she was paid only a third of what her co-star Ashton Kutcher earned for the 2011 romantic comedy, No Strings Attached.

"I wasn’t as p****d as I should have been. I mean, we get paid a lot, so it’s hard to complain, but the disparity is crazy,” Ms Portman told the magazine.

"Compared to men, in most professions, women make 80 cents to the dollar. In Hollywood, we are making 30 cents to the dollar. I don’t think women and men are more or less capable. We just have a clear issue with women not having opportunities. We need to be part of the solution, not perpetuating the problem.”

Ms Portman is the latest Jewish actress to join the fight against pay inequality in the film business. Last month, Emmy Rossum demanded, and won, equal pay to her co-star William H Macy for playing the lead in the US version of Shameless.

Mila Kunis, who is married to Kutcher, wrote a letter in November explaining that she was “done compromising” on equal pay. 

Ms Portman was nominated by BAFTA as Best Actress in a Leading role on Tuesday, for her performance in the Jackie Kennedy biopic, Jackie

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