Jennifer Lawrence tells ITV News: I was called a brat for speaking out over equal pay

By Vincent McAviney, ITV News at Ten Producer

Jennifer Lawrence has told ITV News she was called a 'brat' as part of a backlash when she spoke out about the issue of unequal pay between men and women in the acting industry.

The actress spoke to ITV News Correspondent Nina Nannar, alongside co-stars Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson, ahead of the release of the fourth and final Hunger Games film adaptation, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2.

Since first starring as the bow-wielding heroine Katniss Everdeen in 2012, Lawrence has risen up the ranks, winning an Oscar, BAFTA and two Golden Globes for her work in movies like Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle.

But when Sony Pictures was hacked last year, details of the actors' pay for American Hustle became public and Lawrence was shocked to find out she and co-star Amy Adams were paid less than the three leading men.

She took the unprecedented step of writing an essay earlier in the year about the issue of equal pay following her own experience entitled Why Do I Make Less Than My Male Co-Stars?

On negotiating her fees, she wrote: "I didn’t want to seem ‘difficult’ or ‘spoiled.’ At the time, that seemed like a fine idea, until I saw the payroll on the internet and realised every man I was working with definitely didn’t worry about being ‘difficult’ or ‘spoiled’."

Lawrence admitted for the first time that she'd had some backlash but was undaunted, telling Nina Nannar: "Yeah, I mean even in certain groups I was judged and there was a website that called my essay a 'bratty display' and that's exactly what I was trying to write about."

"It's exactly what I was trying to write about, that if a woman speaks out she's you know a brat or she'll be judged which leads to submissiveness which leads to no progress."

Her male co-stars were quick to support her. Liam Hemsworth said: "[It's wrong] that women are afraid to speak up because they're afraid of being shunned upon and thought of negatively because they're talking about it. And I think that's what Jennifer did in such a great way was bring awareness to it and speak out"

Josh Hutcherson added: "When you actually start looking into the statistics of it it's shocking and it's like the words equal pay for men and women are hard to even say because it feels so like old times. It feels so not in today's world but it actually is very much a part of our world. "

Hollywood veteran Woody Harrelson, who plays Lawrence's mentor in the films, thinks things are getting better but points out: "Only 1.8% of the people directing now are women and I was shocked by that. So I don't know what the percentage is for leads in films and television but I'm hoping it improves on that number."

Asked whether her character inspired her tough new stance Lawrence said, "I mean I can't say that I overlap with a heroine who led a rebellion but no Katniss had a voice and she used it so I also have been fortunate enough to be a in a position where if I speak I'll be heard. So when there's unfairness, something that effects me as a woman I think the only thing to do is speak out against it."

Watch more of Nina Nannar's interview with Jennifer Lawrence on tonight's ITV News at Ten.