Emmys 2019: Michelle Williams demands equal pay in moving acceptance speech

Michelle Williams received a standing ovation for an empowering speech about equal pay at the Emmys. 

Williams picked up a gong for her leading role in biographical miniseries Fosse/Verdon, in which she stars opposite Oscar-winner Sam Rockwell.

Taking to the stage, the 39-year-old thanked producers, saying they never “presumed to know better than I did” how to play her character of  dancer Gwen Verdon.

She said: “Thank you so much to FX and Fox 21 studios for supporting me and paying me equally, because they understood that when you put value into a person, it empowers that person to get in touch with their own inherent value. Where do they put that value? They put it into their work.”

Williams was infamously the victim of one of Hollywood’s most notorious instances of unequal pay for reshoots of drama All the Money in the World.

She was paid 1,000 US dollars for the work, while co-star Mark Wahlberg picked up 1.5 million US dollars.

Speaking at the Emmys in Los Angeles, Williams demanded change.

She said: “The next time a woman, and especially a woman of colour, because she stands to make 52 cents on the dollar compared to her white male counterparts, tells you what she needs in order to do her job, listen to her, believe her.

“Because one day she might stand in front of you and say thank you for allowing her to succeed because of her workplace environment – and not in spite of it.

Elsewhere, Patricia Arquette delivered an emotional acceptance speech after winning Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series for her role in The Act. 

She paid tribute to her late sister Alexis and urged Hollywood to hire more transgender actors.

The evening also saw celebrities including Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel presenting awards.

Meanwhile, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Chernobyl and Marvellous Mrs. Maisel led the winners.

After triumphing for writing Fleabag – shortly before picking up another Emmy for starring in it – Waller-Bridge joked: “I’d like to say just honestly, from the bottom of my heart, that the reason that I do it is this.”

Additional reporting from Press Association.