Crazy Rich Asians co-writer Adele Lim has dropped out of two planned sequels to the hit romantic comedy, after learning she would be paid about an eighth of what another writer, Peter Chiarelli, would earn.
Lim told the Hollywood Reporter her perspective was too often used as “soy sauce” – a dressing added to give a project the mere feel of cultural authenticity.
The massive pay disparity came to light on Wednesday when THR, citing unnamed sources, found that Chiarelli stood to make $800,000 to $1m from the two movies, while Lim stood to make “$110,000-plus”.
The paper pointed out that in Hollywood, the disparity is not that unusual. Before Crazy Rich Asians, Lim worked in TV. Chiarelli has hit movies on his résumé including the 2009 Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds romcom The Proposal.
Crazy Rich Asians, which made $238m at the box office, is credited with uncovering a new target audience. Its sequels will be based on two other books by Kevin Kwan, China Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems.
Lim reportedly rejected an offer from Chiarelli to split his fee, voicing concern that producers viewed her ability to provide a distinct cultural sensibility as her only value to the screenplay.
She said Chiarelli had been “incredibly gracious” but insisted her pay “shouldn’t be dependent on the generosity of the white guy writer”.
“If I couldn’t get pay equity after CRA,” she said, “I can’t imagine what it would be like for anyone else, given that the standard for how much you’re worth is having established quotes from previous movies, which women of colour would never have been [hired for].”
The issue of pay gaps, often between genders, has been battering Hollywood. The most notorious case involved reshoots for Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World, which were needed after Kevin Spacey was replaced. Reports that Michelle Williams was paid a fraction of what co-star Mark Wahlberg received created controversy.