Gal Gadot’s ‘Wonder Woman’ Viral Pay Gap Story, Explained

Wonder Woman was a major hit at the box office, and Gal Godot quickly became a household name overnight. Both she and the movie’s director, Patty Jenkins, are set to make a ton of money during negotiations for the upcoming Wonder Woman 2 movie. But, it begs the question – how much were they paid for the first film?

A story by Elle.com claimed that Gal Godot was compensated $300,000 for her role in the movie, which is $13,700,000 less than Henry Cavil. “Gal Gadot reportedly earned $300,000 for Wonder Woman, while Henry Cavill, as Superman, earned $14 million for Man of Steel,” the news outlet reported. “Aside from movie stars, there are regular people who make more than Gadot did for Wonder Woman. Your average anesthesiologist makes more than that in a year.”

Gal Gadot Wonder Woman Pay
LOS ANGELES – MAY 25: Gal Gadot at the “Wonder Woman” Los Angeles Premiere at the Pantages Theater on May 25, 2017, in Los Angeles, CA (Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com)

How could Gal Godot get paid so much less than Henry Cavill?

Apparently, most superhero movie actors make the same amount of money when they are starting out. According to Vanity Fair, despite starring in major feature films, many actors do not make as much money as you think. For example, Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth were all reportedly paid less than $500,000 for their first solo superhero movies. But, eventually landed bigger paydays for subsequent feature films. For example, Robert Downey Jr. was paid less than $500,000 for the first Iron Man movie but, he landed a $50 million deal for The Avengers.

Stories of actresses getting paid less than their male co-stars are common. But, that does not mean it is true. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gal Godot got paid the same as Henry Cavil did for his standalone debut.