good deeds

Susan Sarandon Says Paul Newman Was ‘a Gem’ for Splitting His Salary With Her

Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

On a recent radio appearance with the BBC’s 5 Live program, Susan Sarandon shared a sweet story about the late actor Paul Newman. The two worked together on the 1998 movie Twilight, and while both of them had a “favored nations” clause in their contracts with fellow co-star Gene Hackman to ensure they all got commensurate deals, Sarandon still ended up getting paid less than both of them. Her name was on the poster, but her paycheck was smaller, so Newman offered to split part of his salary with Sarandon to make up the difference. “They said it was ‘favored nations,’ but they only meant the two guys,” explained the actress, who is promoting her new project Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story. “He stepped forward and said, ‘Well I’ll give you part of mine.’ So, yeah, he was a gem.” See, guys? Look how easy that was.

Susan Sarandon Says Paul Newman Once Split His Pay With Her