Michelle Williams felt “paralyzed in feelings of futility” after it was revealed last year that she had been paid significantly less than Mark Wahlberg for the same amount of work. Then other women in Hollywood rallied around her to make equal pay a priority in the industry.

USA TODAY broke the news last January that Wahlberg made $1.5 million to reshoot scenes in Ridley Scott's "All the Money in the World," while Williams was paid an $80 per diem totaling less than $1,000 – less than one-tenth of 1% of Wahlberg's paycheck. And Williams wasn't told.

Speaking on Capitol Hill Tuesday to celebrate Equal Pay Day, Williams, 38, recalled Hollywood not exactly jumping at the chance to fairly compensate her after the information came to light, despite the fact that the four-time Oscar nominee had been working since she was 12.

"No one cared," she said. "This came as no surprise to me, it simply reinforced my life-learned belief that equality is not an inalienable right and that women would always be working just as hard for less money while shouldering more responsibility in their homes. … I’ve been accredited by my industry at the highest levels and that still didn’t translate to equal and fair compensation."

She added that Jessica Chastain stepped in, realizing she could help make a difference for women across the board. Chastain, Williams and dozens of other actresses spent the 2018 awards show season voicing "solidarity for the oppressed and violated women in our industry and across all industries."

Williams continued: “Jessica’s audience was much wider than mine and she wasn’t afraid to pick up a megaphone and be heard. And heard she was; there was an uproar and a public shaming within my industry that resulted in a $2 million donation to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund.”

Williams has since noticed a major shift in the way she's treated in the workplace.

"Rather than being grasped too tightly and hugged for too long as a morning greeting, my hand was shaken and I was looked squarely in the eye and I was welcomed to my Monday morning,” she said. "I realized this is what it actually feels like to be on the inside, to be one of the boys. In this space, respect and safety are out in the open. They are not just found in the shadows and the corners."

Williams added, “On the job I just completed two weeks ago, let me tell you something: I was paid equally with my male co-star.”

Contributing: Andrea Mandell

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