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HBO Is Fixing Pay Disparity After Encouragement From Reese Witherspoon

Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP
Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP

Casey Bloys shared how the actress has helped reshape network policy.

HBO has been going through all of their programming to fix gendered pay inequity, according to a new inteview in The Hollywood Reporterwith President of Programming Casey Bloys.

Asked about the relevancy of programming and, notably, HBO darling Big Little Lies in the wake of the #TimesUp movement, Bloys said:

"One of the things that's come out of thinking about the movement and some conversations with Reese, who's really at the forefront, is something we've done recently. We've proactively gone through all of our shows -- in fact, we just finished our process where we went through and made sure that there were no inappropriate disparities in pay; and where there were, if we found any, we corrected it going forward."

No, that doesn't mean all men and women of HBO are making the exact same now. The disparities were closed based on background experience and current position. As Bloys explains: "people are getting what they deserve."

Related | First Look at Meryl Streep & Nicole Kidman in Big Little Lies Season 2

HBO is set to introduce several new female-led projects this year, including Sharp Objects, starring Amy Adams, as well as another project from the joint forces of Nicole Kidman and Big Little Lies screenwriter David E. Kelley.

Bloys had more to say about the impace of Big Little Lies on the network:

"What it showed was that there was a place not only on HBO but in the greater TV landscape for shows that showed complex, complicated women. One of the things that would drive me nuts is when people would call a show like this with really talented actresses talking about things that are important to, really, everybody but women specifically in terms of schooling and infidelity and, in this case, domestic abuse, a 'guilty pleasure.' Why is a show that's smart and entertaining and talking about really difficult topics a guilty pleasure? Why dismiss it that way?"

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