Chadwick Boseman once used part of his salary to increase his co-star’s pay
It was a month ago that Chadwick Boseman passed away, leaving all of us heartbroken. We continue to listen to several accounts of how great a person he was.
Boseman’s 21 Bridges co-star, Sienna Miller, recently spoke about the time when Boseman let go of a part of his own salary in order to make sure that she would enjoy fair pay. “This was a pretty big budget film, and I know that everybody understands about the pay disparity in Hollywood, but I asked for a number that the studio wouldn’t get to,” she recalled.
“And because I was hesitant to go back to work and my daughter was starting school and it was an inconvenient time, I said, ‘I’ll do it if I’m compensated in the right way,’” Miller continued. “And Chadwick ended up donating some of his salary to get me to the number that I had asked for. He said that that was what I deserved to be paid.”
According to the actress, Boseman’s act of kindness was “about the most astounding thing that I’ve experienced.” Although she never spoke about this in public, she did divulge this information to her male friends.
“It’s just unfathomable to imagine another man in that town behaving that graciously or respectfully,” she said. “In the aftermath of this, I’ve told other male actor friends of mine that story and they all go very, very quiet and go home and probably have to sit and think about things for a while.”
Boseman, who passed away after a four-year-battle with colon cancer, was also the producer of the film. Miller also stated that he was “active” in making sure that she got the role, which was first crated foe a man. “He was a fan of my work, which was thrilling, because it was reciprocated from me to him, tenfold,” she said.