Ahead of the launch of the final series of political drama “House of Cards”, the actress spoke to Euronews about the need to showcase female leaders and the power of celebrity influence.
ADVERTISEMENTHollywood actor Robin Wright wants people to talk more about equality, and believes there needs to be “a revolution for change” to ensure that women receive equal pay.
Wright spoke to Euronews this week in the Romanian capital of Bucharest, where she was attending the International Advertising Association’s 'Creativity for Better' conference.
The actor stars in popular political drama “House of Cards” and famously fought for equal pay with her then co-star Kevin Spacey.
Speaking of her hopes for equality, she told Euronews: “The more we talk about it, the faster we’ll get there.”
“The catchphrase that caught my attention was ‘equal work, equal pay’. That’s very different than ‘I just want to be equal and we want to do everything a man does.’ We know we can’t do so much that men can do, and men can’t do… some of the things we can do. We need each other.
“But I am pushing for 'you do equal work, you have the same position, you do exactly the same amount of work, you should be paid equally'. Period,” she said.
Wright, who will play the first female US president in the upcoming final series of “House of Cards”, said she believed there needed to be more female political leaders and greater focus on women already in high-powered positions.
“I think there are a lot of women that are in high-powered positions in the corporate world, the private sector, and we just haven’t showcased them enough… I think it’s again just highlighting, showcasing and amplifying what is there. And will that inspire [people] to hire more women in those positions? Most probably,” she said.
As well as being an actor, Wright co-owns her own ethical sleepwear line, which helps women affected by the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
She argued that it is important for celebrities to use their influence to support positive causes.
“I do think that we all have a passion for a cause, or two or three or 10. And what a high profile person can do is ... get the attention, and the fans listen and want to follow… They get involved because they’re involved in you,” she said.
Proceeds from the company, called 'Pour Les Femmes', are used to fund community centres, which train women in vocational skills.
Wright added that the message of her business was “not only to raise awareness on the crisis, but to say purchase with reason, instead of just purchasing. Why not generate more of that in the world?”