Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman has criticized gender pay inequality, asserting that she would earn "more money" if she were a man.
The British star, known as the late Queen in "The Crown" and for "The Favourite" as the 18th-century monarch Anne, also dismissed suggestions that male actors encourage cinemagoers to watch movies.
Colman was asked on CNN's Christiane Amanpour program about women being taken more seriously in Hollywood.
She said: "Research suggests that they've (women have) always been big box office draws ... don't get me started on the pay disparity, but male actors get paid more because they used to say they draw in the audiences and actually, that hasn't been true for decades.
"But they still like to use that as a reason not to pay women as much as their male counterparts."
Colman added, "I'm very aware that if I were Oliver Coleman, I'd be earning a lot more than I am. I know of one pay disparity, which is a 12,000% difference. Do the maths."
She was on the news show to talk about "Wicked Little Letters," which she stars in alongside Irish actress Jessie Buckley and looks at the true story of poisoned pen messages that hit the town of Littlehampton in West Sussex in the 1920s.
Both actresses were previously in "The Lost Daughter" together, where Colman played a mother reflecting on her past and earned Buckley her first Oscar nod.
Colman received her second Academy Award nod for leading actress in a drama in 2021, following her taking home the same award for "The Favourite" in 2018.
She was also given an actress in a supporting role nomination for "The Father," which saw Sir Anthony Hopkins play a man with dementia, in 2020.
This month, Forbes named Adam Sandler as the highest-paid actor of 2023.
Sandler raked in $73 million following the success of his 2023 Netflix film "Murder Mystery 2" and his stand-up comedy tour, according to the U.S. business magazine's annual list.
Australian actress Margot Robbie was the second highest earner, achieving $59 million for the year, following her starring role in the blockbuster "Barbie," which she also produced.
The only other woman to place in the top 10 was "Friends" star Jennifer Aniston, who was Sandler's co-star in his comedy film. Aniston placed sixth by earning $42 million, Forbes said.
Tom Cruise placed third when he cashed in on the latest Mission: Impossible series movie and earned $45 million in 2023, while "Barbie" star Ryan Gosling and "Oppenheimer" actor Matt Damon both placed fourth, earning $43 million.
Also in the top 10 were "Killers Of The Flower Moon" actor Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Equalizer" franchise star Denzel Washington, "Expend4bles" actor Jason Statham and "Air" director and actor Ben Affleck.
