Natalie Portman was paid three times less than Ashton Kutcher for 2011 film

In 2011, Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman starred in the romantic comedy No Strings Attached. The film follows childhood friends Adam (Kutcher) and Emma (Portman), who agree to a “friends with benefits” relationship. Despite their arrangement, Adam develops feelings for Emma, but she’s too focused on her career for a serious relationship.

No Strings Attached may have received mixed reviews, but it proved to be a box office sensation. With impressive global earnings exceeding $149 million on a modest $25 million budget, it’s clear that audiences were drawn to its charm and appeal.

Natalie Portman revealed she was paid three times less than Ashton Kutcher in No Strings Attached

When Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher were cast in No Strings Attached, both had significant experience, having appeared in popular films and shows like Star Wars and That ’70s Show. Despite her strong background, Portman was paid only a third of Kutcher’s salary, which shocked her.

In a 2017 interview with Marie Claire, the Oscar-winner actress opened up about how frustrated she was over their huge salary gap.

“I knew and I went along with it because there’s this thing with ‘quotes’ in Hollywood,” Portman admitted. “His [quote] was three times higher than mine, so they said he should get three times more. I wasn’t as pissed as I should have been. I mean, we get paid a lot, so it’s hard to complain, but the disparity is crazy.”

At the time,Portman chose not to address the salary disparity to avoid tension on set, feeling her own earnings were substantial enough. However, she realized that this issue reflects a broader societal problem that needs to be tackled.

“Compared to men, in most professions, women make 80 cents to the dollar,” she explained. “In Hollywood, we are making 30 cents to the dollar.”

After the interview was released, Kutcher showed his support for his No Strings Attached co-star with a heartfelt tweet. “So proud of Natalie and all women who stand up for closing the gender pay gap,” he wrote.

Ashton Kutcher found it hard to act with Natalie Portman in “No Strings Attached” for one main reason.

When they were cast to star in No Strings Attached, Ashton Kutcher had much more experience with romantic comedies than Natalie Portman. Despite this, the That 70s Show actor felt Portman was a much better actor, confessing that Portman’s abundant talent intimidated him many times on set.

“I learned more from Natalie in one day of being on set together than I can ever possibly teach her in a billion years,” Kutcher revealed in an interview for Collider.

“She may not have done a rom-com before, but she’s done so much work on so many different levels. I mean, I even watch ‘Garden State’ or something like that, that’s comedic in and of itself, but also is true, specific organic performances. I don’t know that there’s anything I can really teach her.”

He added: “She’s probably one of the best actresses of my generation. I believe she is and there’s a blessing and a curse in that as an actor. Because… you know everything you get across from you is going to be real and honest and reactive and beautiful, at the same time when the light shines in the dark room, all the dust shows, and so it was a challenge for me to be as honest as she is.”