LeBron James hasn’t had his hand in Hollywood for long, but he’s already making positive impacts. Octavia Spencer revealed that he was a helping force in her getting equal pay in the upcoming Madam C.J. Walker biopic.
During the Sundance Film Festival, the Oscar-winning actress told the crowd that the NBA superstar had to speak up on her behalf so that she receives equal pay to her male counterparts.
“I have to say when I was negotiating my deal for ‘Madam C.J.,’ LeBron James had to intervene,” she told the Park City crowd, per TMZ. “We need all our male counterparts to be in the fight with us.”
This isn’t the first time Octavia Spencer had an ally speak up in her defense. At last year’s Sundance festival she revealed that Jessica Chastain lobbied for her to get equal pay as her in a project they were collaborating on.
“I think my goal is to make sure that all women of color get equal pay, and all women get equal pay,” Spencer said. “The only way to do it is to have these conversations, to talk numbers with your co-stars. Jessica and I stood together, and that was interesting that she would take that position … but we also need advocates and allies in negotiating.”
LeBron James is certainly an ally for the rights of Black women. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, James used Serena Williams as an example as to why Black women have to fight harder for equality.
“What we all have to understand is what she is fighting for is bigger than just that match,” he said. “She is fighting for equality—always having to win more, more, more, just to feel equal. Being an African American woman playing in a predominantly white sport, she’s dealing with so much more. I have no idea what was going on in her head, but I feel that struggle.”
