Per the new interview, it sounds like Letts was more or less on the money when he shared the story with The Ringer‘s podcast. However, Coon does push back against the assertion that sexism played into the financial disagreement, opining, “I’ll say, I’m sure men are told that.” The issue, Coon suggests, is less about attitudes toward specific performers than about an industry that treats people like they should simply be lucky to be in the room. Coon provides this helpful metaphor:
Let’s say you’re starting off in a business and get an entry-level position and are given an entry-level salary. You work in that business for 10 years, you’re no longer making an entry-level salary, and then an amazing company comes to you and says, “We think you’re great, and we would like to hire you.” And you say, “Fantastic. [This] is an amazing company. I’d love to work for you.” But they’re only going to pay you your entry-level salary. You decide it’s a great company, I’ll give it a shot. And then you work for them and they extend your contract. You say, “Wonderful. Can I expect to receive a salary commensurate with my experience?” And the company says, “No, I’m sorry. We can only pay your entry-level salary.”
Through this experience, Coon says she learned “my time is more valuable elsewhere,” including with her family. The actor maintains that the split with Marvel was amicable and “purely a business decision.” “I think that those comments are probably less sexist than they are just an indicator of where the movie industry was heading,” she continues. “I think people operate under a tremendous misunderstanding about what we’re paid in those circumstances. I think if people knew, I think they’d be surprised, and wouldn’t be surprised at the decision I made.”
