Gillian Anderson Reveals She Fought for Equal Pay on ‘The X-Files’

Gillian Anderson fought to be paid the same as her The X-Files co-star David Duchovny while working on the hit show, insisting the pay gap between them was “massive” at the start of the spooky series.

The star reveals there was a huge salary difference between the two lead actors when they started filming the hit sci-fi show in 1993, but she eventually took a stand and insisted her wages be brought in line with those of her colleague.

She tells British magazine Red, “At the beginning, the pay disparity was massive. But that happens all the time in Hollywood. It’s, ‘Do this for me, I’ll get you a job.’ All the stuff in the papers today about people in entertainment who have abused their position… It’s built into our society. It’s easy to miss and it’s easy to get used to it.”

Anderson goes on to claim women are still treated differently to men both in and out of the workplace. She adds, “There are things that are intolerable in today’s world, in terms of the perception of women. Whether they’re vamps or vixens. The expectation that, if a woman is wearing a short skirt, she’s ‘asking for it’.”

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