Award-winning actor and director Robin Wright opens up at Monte-Carlo TV Festival about pay disparity with Kevin Spacey on House of Cards, her fears over AI in entertainment, and her continued commitment to meaningful storytelling.
Monte Carlo, June 16:
Robin Wright, acclaimed for her role as Claire Underwood on Netflix’s House of Cards, has spoken candidly about the battle for equal pay she faced during the show’s run. In a powerful reflection at the Monte-Carlo TV Festival, Wright revealed she was offered a workaround to achieve pay parity with co-star Kevin Spacey—but only by receiving three separate paychecks for acting, directing, and executive producing.
“They literally said: ‘We can’t pay you the same as an actor,’” Wright told reporters. “So they said, ‘We’re going to divvy it up—make you executive producer, have you direct, and then give you three different paychecks.’”
When Wright questioned why she wasn’t paid equally for her acting alone, the response stunned her:
“Because you didn’t win an Academy Award.”
Wright’s remarks underscore a long-standing gender pay gap in Hollywood, particularly in high-profile productions where women often need to justify equal compensation by taking on additional roles.
Visionary Beginnings and the Streaming Revolution
Wright also recalled how House of Cards was instrumental in shaping the modern streaming landscape, crediting director David Fincher for his foresight.
“He said: ‘You know, this is going to be our future. We’re going to launch streaming… and I think it’ll be revolutionary.’ And look at where we are today.”
As the first major Netflix original, House of Cards laid the foundation for binge-watching culture and transformed digital content distribution, making Fincher’s prediction prophetic.
AI in Film: “It Frightens Me”
The discussion also turned to the growing role of AI in entertainment, a subject Wright addressed with concern.
“It frightens me for our industry,” she said, highlighting the double-edged nature of AI.
“It’s tough, because I know it’s going to help in the medical world tremendously. But everywhere else, people are going to lose jobs.”
Despite her concerns, Wright is optimistic that human emotion in performance can’t be replicated:
“People say: ‘Don’t you think AI will take over acting?’ I don’t think it ever can. It will never get the emotion in the eyes. You’ll never feel the resonance.”
The Girlfriend and the Crystal Nymph Honor
Currently starring, directing, and executive producing the upcoming Prime Video series The Girlfriend, Wright continues to push creative boundaries. She previewed an exclusive clip at the Festival—an intimate scene where her character questions her on-screen son about his romantic life in a sauna, showcasing her nuanced performance and storytelling voice.
In recognition of her decades-long contributions to film and television, Robin Wright was awarded the Crystal Nymph Award, the Festival’s highest honor for career excellence and lasting industry impact.