Charlize Theron fought for higher salary after movie pay leak

Charlize Theron renegotiated her pay for an upcoming movie role because she was furious when she found out actresses such as Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams were paid significantly less than their male co-stars.

The Oscar winner admits she was furious when emails leaked as part of the Sony Pictures hacking scandal revealed that both Lawrence and Adams received lower salaries for their work on American Hustle than colleagues including Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale.

Theron reveals the revelation prompted her to renegotiate her fee for the upcoming Snow White and the Huntsman prequel to bring her salary in line with that of her male co-star Chris Hemsworth, and she was surprised when movie bosses agreed to her terms.

She tells Britain's Elle magazine, "I have to give them (movie bosses) credit, because once I asked, they said yes. They did not fight it. And maybe that's the message: that we just need to put our foot down... When I thought about the temperature out there - with finding out what Jennifer and Amy were being paid on a set with guy actors who are their counterparts ... They're just as good as any of the guys on there. Yeah, that p**sed me off!... This is a good time for us to bring this to a place of fairness, and girls need to know that being a feminist is a good thing. It doesn't mean that you hate men. It means equal rights. If you're doing the same job, you should be compensated and treated in the same way."

Theron is set to reprise her role as the evil queen in The Huntsman, which is due for release next year (16).