Photo Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
The 2019 Sundance Film Festival is underway, and film stars, directors, and producers across the country have been flocking to Park City, Utah to present their latest projects. Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer used to her Sundance spotlight to address women’s rights, equal pay, and the way NBA forward LeBron James helped her achieve both when negotiating her Netflix deal for the service’s new series, Madam C.J. Walker.
“I have to say, when I was negotiating my deal for ‘Madam C.J.’, LeBron James had to intervene,” Spencer said during Sundance panel. “We need all our male counterparts to be in the fight with us.”
“I think my goal is to make sure that all women of color get equal pay, and all women get equal pay. The only way to do it is to have these conversations, to talk numbers with your co-stars.”
ET Canada reports Spencer and colleague Jessica Chastain “had people chirping last year when they banded together to demand equal pay on a still-unnamed Netflix holiday project.”
The Hidden Figures actress furthered her stance on equal pay by explaining why it’s important to band together on the issue.
“Jessica and I stood together, and that was interesting that she would take that position — well, I mean, she is Jessica Chastain — but we also need advocates and allies in negotiating.”
LeBron James is an executive producer on Madam C.J. Walker.