Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE/ARTS
Tuesday 19 sepTember 2017
In ‘Battle of the Sexes,’ King

passes a baton to Emma Stone

By JAKE COYLE for Hollywood’s own issues before we might be equal,
AP Film Writer in compensating men and have equal pay.”
TORONTO (AP) — Walking women equally. The makers of “Battle of
through the tunnel to Arthur Stone has spoken about pay the Sexes” wanted the film
Ashe Stadium alongside Bil- equality in Hollywood. In to stand apart behind the
lie Jean King, Emma Stone July, she said she has previ- camera as well.
gasped at the size of the U.S. ously insisted male co-stars “On our movie, there was a
Open’s main court. close the pay gap by cutting distinct effort to pay every-
King, of course, was more their salaries. She acted out one equally,” said Dayton.
familiar with grounds of the of inspiration from King and “Our crew was a really great
tennis center — it’s named some of her own contem- mix of men and women in all
after her, after all. But as ac- poraries, like Jennifer Law- departments. Our editor is a
customed as Stone is to the rence. Lawrence penned woman. Our production de-
spotlight, her playing fields an essay in 2015 about pay signer is a woman. The sound
are usually private film sets disparity after emails from mixing team, both women.”
or more intimate television the Sony hack revealed she “We always have a good
show audiences. In making had been paid less than her mix that way,” added Faris.
“Battle of the Sexes,” a new male co-stars in “American “I guess it starts with us.”
film about King’s infamous Hustle.” Their film melds the public
1973 showdown with Bobby “It becomes a difficult topic spectacle of King and Riggs’
Riggs (Steve Carell), Stone just for me because other faceoff with the personal
was often both awed and people might have answers struggles both were deal-
a little jealous of the stages that I haven’t come to in fix- ing with leading up to the
on which King crusaded for ing the industry at large, but match. King — then 29, mar-
sport and for women’s rights. because of the circumstan- ried and the No. 1-ranked
(King helped win equal prize tial nature of it — the way the player in the world — was
money for women at the U.S. budgets inflate or go down in the midst of embracing
Open that same year.) from movie to movie, or year her homosexuality, which
In tennis, the lines are clear, to year the way a person’s she would reveal years later.
the scoreboard is final and career moves,” Stone said. The 55-year-old Riggs, who
a landmark victory against “Every industry should be died in 1995, isn’t merely a
sexism could go down in thinking about that,” add- chauvinist stereotype, but is
straight sets. ed the 28-year-old actress. seen going through his own
“It’s just such a longer con- “It’s my world. Tennis is Billie marital problems.“What we
versation in the movie indus- Jean’s world. But it matters loved about this story was
try,” Stone said in an inter- across the board.”A recent that it showed how much
view shortly after watching list by Forbes magazine of you can do within your own
the women’s finals with King the highest-paid stars in Hol- field or profession,” said Faris.
earlier this month, which saw lywood ranked Stone as the “Everyone is talking about
Sloane Stephens capture highest-paid woman. Four- parity within actor salaries.
the trophy. “When I look at a teen male actors ranked I think probably with direc-
tennis match, whoever wins higher. The gap reflects tors, we’re not close to hav-
at the end, the prize money larger industry inequalities. ing parity. In general, we’re
should be equal. There are Of the 4,583 speaking char- always going to have to
so many moving parts in how acters in last year’s top 100 work to achieve some kind
that comes to pass on a film films, 31.4 percent were fe- of equality. It’s a battle that
to film basis. But of course male — roughly the same you probably never even
things need to be changed.” rate as in 2007, according win.”“Battle of the Sexes”
“Battle of the Sexes,” which to a study by the University has been warmly received
Fox Searchlight will release of Southern California. Only by critics and some believe it
Friday, is in some ways a 34 of those films depicted a has definite Oscar chances.
time-traveling experience female lead or co-lead. The film has certainly won
back to the 1970s and the “I did talk to Emma about over King, as has Stone,
chauvinism of another era. the industry: Do you want whom King praises as “sen-
But the film, directed by Jon- to make a difference?” said sational.”
athan Dayton and Valerie King, who won 39 major titles “We have the same middle
Faris, also seems very much in her career, including 12 in name. Same month we were
of today, coming less than singles. “I don’t know if this born. We both knew what
a year after a bruising presi- movie has helped her have we wanted to do at a young
dential election often fought self-confidence or more em- age,” says King. When she
over gender lines. And King’s powered. I hope it helps her. I heard Stone was working
fight for pay equality — she think it’s still very relevant still. with a dialect coach, she
helped launch the female- Equality for everyone is so far protested: “You already
only Virginia Slims tennis cir- away. Every generation has sound exactly like me!”q
cuit after objecting to the to really fight for it more and ___
disparity between male and more. We have made prog- Follow AP Film Writer Jake
female prize money — also ress but I think women have Coyle on Twitter at: http://
has clear reverberations at least another 175 years twitter.com/jakecoyleAP