'It's bulls--t': Mila Kunis calls out sexism in Hollywood
Actress describes being threatened by producer for not posing semi-nude on magazine cover
Mila Kunis is done compromising.
The Hollywood actress is calling out the American entertainment industry in a candid open letter published Wednesday.
"Throughout my career, there have been moments when I have been insulted, sidelined, paid less, creatively ignored, and otherwise diminished based on my gender," wrote the Bad Moms star in A Plus magazine, an online publication founded by her husband, fellow actor Ashton Kutcher.
"But the older I got and the longer I worked in this industry, the more I realized that it's bullshit! And, worse, that I was complicit in allowing it to happen."
The 33-year-old also described being threatened by a movie producer when she refused to appear semi-nude on a magazine cover to promote a movie — and told that she would "never work in this town again."
"I will work in this town again," she declared in the essay, "but I will not work with you."
Adding her voice
Kunis, who is best known for her work TV sitcom That '70s Show and films like Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Ted, and the ballet thriller Black Swan, said she is speaking out now because of the security she enjoys from her success.
She also hopes to bring "one more voice to the conversation so that women in the workplace feel a little less alone and more able to push back for themselves."
Kunis is just the latest high-powered actress to speak openly about less-than-equitable work experiences in the business.
- 'People are kind of fed up': Tatiana Maslany explains why feminist voices are rising
- Jennifer Aniston's essay inspires actresses to address sexist standards
Jennifer Lawrence, Jennifer Aniston and Amy Adams have all come forward in the hopes of bringing equity to the entertainment industry.
Comedian Amy Schumer attempted to take a lighter — but just as eye-opening tone — when she teamed with heavy-weight stars Tina Fey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Patricia Arquette to poke fun of the double whammy of ageism and sexism in a widely shared sketch from her show Inside Amy Schumer last year.
In the clip, the more senior actresses try to explain to Schumer how an actress can tell when she's no longer considered sexually attractive enough for certain roles.
Despite the comedic approach, winning equality for women in Hollywood is no laughing matter.
Females made up 19 per cent of all directors, writers, executive producers, producers, editors, and cinematographers working on the top grossing films last year, according to a recent industry study.
And the percentage of woman portrayed as speaking characters in TV, film and streaming shows actually dropped to 39 per cent last year.