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Kaya Scodelario admits she is still paid less than her male counterparts despite establishing herself as one of Britain’s most prominent actors.
The Sussex-born star developed a cult following after her breakthrough role as teenager Effy Stonem in hit E4 drama Skins.
Since then, she has starred in a string of successful blockbusters, including the Ted Bundy biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile with Zac Efron and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, with Johnny Depp.
But despite her passion for the craft and love of set work, Scodelario, 32, insists there is still a significant financial disparity in gender earnings within the film industry – much to her dismay.
She told me DEBT magazine: ”I still really love my job, but my favorite part of it is spending 18 hours on set, breaking bones and mentally destroying myself for the sake of the character. That’s the part I love.
“But it’s also a career and a job, and there are parts of it that are still very difficult for women. I’m well aware that I’m probably still paid less than any male actor I work with.
Kaya Scodelario admits she’s still paid less than her male counterparts despite establishing herself as one of Britain’s most prominent actors
The Sussex-born star developed a cult following after her breakthrough role as teenager Effy Stonem in hit E4 drama Skins
‘The stories I want to tell are harder to find, they just take more time.’
She added: “It’s a challenge because I love it so much, but I’m in a wonderful position. I am lucky and aware that I get to do a job that I love.
‘I’m lucky to be able to do something artistic that we enjoy, but there’s still a long way to go
Away from work, Scodelario and her ex-husband Benjamin Walker are back together after reconciling at an art opening in the Maldives – five months after they split.
The former couple – parents of two children and married for eight years before splitting – attended the unveiling of Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar’s latest art collection at Patina Maldives in July.
Scodelario and Walker exchanged vows in December 2015 and share a seven-year-old son and a two-year-old daughter together.
The couple looked up close as they posed under the palm trees of the idyllic Maldives hotel in the dedicated gallery space to attend the private viewing of the sustainably produced Life Energy exhibition.
The couple announced their separation in a joint statement in February, which read: “Some time ago, Kaya and Ben made the mutual decision to end their marriage, but continue to lovingly co-parent while remaining the best of friends.
Despite her success, Scodelario continues to maintain that – much to her dismay – there remains a significant financial disparity in the earnings of men and women within the film industry.
“There are parts of it that are still very difficult for women. “I’m acutely aware that I’m probably still paid less than any male co-star I work with,” she told FAULT magazine
Outside of work, Scodelario and her ex-husband Benjamin Walker are back together after reconciling at an art opening in the Maldives – five months after they split
“They ask that both their privacy and that of their children remain respected as they move forward as a family.”
They met while filming The King’s Daughter in 2014, when the Maze Runner star was 22 and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power actor was 31.
After a whirlwind romance, they got engaged in December 2014 and tied the knot that December, both taking the surname Scodelario-Davis.
Walker was previously married to Meryl Streep’s daughter Mamie Gummer, from 2011 until their divorce in March 2013.
Scodelario previously dated her Skins co-star Jack O’Connell and had a long-term romance with Shameless actor Eliott Tittensor from late 2009 to early 2014.
The full interview is available in the current issue of FAULT magazine, out now