She won the Best Actress award at the 2014 Golden Globes for her role in the Showtime series.
But Ruth Wilson has revealed her certainty that she is paid less than co-star Dominic West for hit drama The Affair – although she does not know his specific salary.
Speaking to Radio Times, the actress, 36, explained she does not want a higher salary than men, but simply the same – and called for more ‘open discussions’ about the gender pay gap in the industry.
‘I want equal money’: Ruth Wilson has revealed her certainty that she is paid less than co-star Dominic West for hit drama The Affair – although she does not know his specific salary
The issue of inequality in the acting world has been heavily discussed in recent weeks, following the emergence of the Harvey Weinstein last year.
Addressing her own experience, Ruth admitted she ‘definitely’ gets paid less than co-star Dominic for the same popular television series – and for any other role, when starring beside a man.
She said: ‘I definitely get less money than a male in my situation would. Definitely. Certainly when I signed up to that project, I would have got paid less.
On par: The actress explained she does not want a higher salary than men, but the same – and called for more ‘open discussions’ about the pay gap (pictured on the show with Dominic)
‘Then [the producers] might argue, ‘Well, he’s already done a major American TV show so he’s already got a level.’ But even after a Golden Globe I’m not going to be on parity.’
While she expressed her disappointment, she admitted it would be awkward to discuss the pay difference with Dominic himself – something she hopes will eventually change.
She added: ‘It’s quite hard to bring that up in a way. But it needs to be an open discussion and men need to help us out.
‘I don’t want more money, I just want equal money. Which means men have to take less.’
Speaking out: She said of the issue: ‘I definitely get less money than a male in my situation would. Even after a Golden Globe I’m not going to be on parity’ (pictured in December 2017)
‘Men have to take less’: While she expressed her disappointment, she admitted it would be awkward to discuss the pay difference with Dominic himself (pictured on the show)
Ruth and Dominic have starred in The Affair since 2014, and its fourth season is set to hit screens in June this year.
The pair play Noah and Alison in the hit drama series, which follows the fallout of their extramarital affair in New York City.
Read more: The full interview is in this week’s issue of the Radio Times
Dominic, who is best known for starring in The Wire, has openly praised Ruth in the past, and revealed she has even inspired him to be a better actor last year.
Recalling a time the pair filmed an emotionally-charged scene to Harper’s Bazaar, he said: ‘She’s incredibly good at doing nothing yet showing an awful lot behind the eyes, whereas I’m much more theatrical.
That really hit me – especially when I saw it on the monitor. I thought: ‘That’s how you act. That’s how you do it.’
Alongside The Affair’s fourth season, Ruth has a number of exciting projects in the pipeline.
She was recently spotted filming BBC’s Luther with Idris Elba, despite her character ‘dying’ at the end of the last season.
It was also announced last month that she will be playing her own grandmother in upcoming BBC drama Mrs Wilson.
The three-part drama, which will be shown in the U.S. on PBS’ Masterpiece, focuses on Alison Wilson’s memoir written amidst 1940s London and 1930s India.