In a resurfaced video gone viral, Viola Davis put Hollywood on blast for basically getting away with murder when it comes to paying black women what they’re worth as compared to their white counterparts. Despite her many accolades and a 30-year-old career that’s comparable to Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore’s, Viola revealed that she’s “nowhere near them” in terms of equal pay and roles.

“I got the Oscar, I got the Emmy, I got the two Tonys, I’ve done Broadway, I’ve done off-Broadway, I’ve done TV, I’ve done film, I’ve done all of it,” Viola said. “I have a career that’s probably comparable to Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, Sigourney Weaver. They all came out of Yale, they came out of Julliard, they came out of NYU. They had the same path as me, and yet I am nowhere near them, not as far as money, not as far as job opportunities, nowhere close to it.”

After having to “hustle” for roles while constantly being referred to as “a black Meryl Streep”, the How To Get Away With Murder star demanded that she’s paid what she’s worth. And many women in Hollywood, including non-black allies, want equal pay for black women too. After becoming aware of the pay disparity for black actresses, Jessica Chastain championed for Octavia Spencer to get paid “5 times the salary” she originally asked for her role in The Help. According to CNBC, Jessica said “Octavia we’re gonna get you paid on this film. You and I are gonna be tied together. We’re gonna be favored nations, and we’re gonna make the same thing,” Octavia shared at the Sundance Film Festival.

Girlscreator and actress Lena Dunham has also spoken out about how Hollywood is rigged “in favor of white people.”

It actually wasn’t a dialogue – it was just me agreeing that the Hollywood system is rigged in favor of white people and that my career took off at a young age with relative ease, ease I wasn’t able to recognize because I also didn’t know what privilege was.

— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) June 29, 2020

What do you think of Viola Davis’ speech about getting paid what she’s worth?