Bryce Dallas Howard reveals that her salary for the three Jurassic World movies is actually much lower than many may expect. Acting as a soft reboot of the Jurassic Park franchise, the release of Jurassic World in 2015 introduced a new set of heroes in the form of Howard’s Claire Dearing and Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady. The film was a major financial success and the characters would return in two sequels, 2017’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and this this summer’s hit Jurassic World Dominion.
With Jurassic World Dominion seemingly concluding this phase of the franchise, it is unclear what the future holds for Howard and Pratt’s characters. After being introduced as the business-minded park supervisor in Jurassic World, Howard’s character would go on to become a major dinosaur advocate, fighting for dinosaur rights in places around the world. In Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Jurassic World Dominion, in particular, Claire finds herself in the middle of the action alongside Owen more frequently with the two also developing a romantic relationship. Despite her importance to the story, it was reported in 2018 that Howard was paid $8 million for playing Claire in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, while Pratt was paid $10 million for his role.
Now, in a new interview with Insider, Howard reveals that her salary for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and the Jurassic World franchise, in general, was much lower than was reported. The actor explains she negotiated her contract for all three Jurassic World movies back in 2014 back when female actors had far less power in Hollywood. After the deal was inked, Howard was then locked into her salary for all three installments, which was significantly less than Pratt’s. Check out Howard’s full comment below:
“The reports were so interesting because I was paid so much less than the reports even said, so much less. When I started negotiating for ‘Jurassic,’ it was 2014, and it was a different world, and I was at a great disadvantage. And, unfortunately, you have to sign up for three movies, and so your deals are set.”
While Howard goes on to explain that Pratt used his status to support her and secure better deals for her for things outside the Jurassic World trilogy, like video games and theme park rides, Howard was evidently a victim of the gendered pay disparity that has been affecting actors for decades. Hollywood has long been criticized for the pay gap that exists between male and female actors, with the latter often taking home significantly less money for roles that are equally important. However, this trend has started to change in recent years with many female stars now taking home similar or equal amounts to their male co-stars.
Howard’s Claire plays a crucial role in the Jurassic World franchise and none of the films would work without her. Jurassic World Dominion, especially, sees Claire become much more of an action hero, often taking center stage in her own impressive set pieces and stunts. Considering her importance to the story, it’s clear that Howard should have been paid the same as Pratt from the outset — something that will hopefully be rectified should she appear in any Jurassic World films in the future.
