Jeremy Renner Says it is ‘Not His Job’ to Help Actresses get Equal Pay

You won't see Jeremy Renner fighting for equal pay in Hollywood anytime soon.

"The Avengers" actor recently weighed in on Jennifer Lawrence's wage-gap essay, "Why Do I Make Less Than My Male Co‑Stars?" Renner, who co-stared with Lawrence in the Oscar-nominated movie, "American Hustle," stated that he would rather focus on his acting than the numbers.

"That's not my job. I don't know contracts and money and all that sort of stuff," Renner said to Business Insider. "I'm a performer, and I know human behavior. When it comes to that sort of stuff, I let other people deal with that. I do what I'm good at - that's what I focus on."

Renner's comments were starkly different from co-star Bradley Cooper's statements. Cooper stated that he would be will to co-negotiate with his female co-stars in the future. It is important to note that actors are not usually a part of the negotiation process.

In Lawrence's essay, which was published in Lena Dunham's newsletter, Lenny, the 25-year-old actress talked about the salary differences between her and her male counterparts in "American Hustle," which were revealed during the Sony hack. Although Lawrence wrote that she does not think she got paid less simply because she is a woman, she does acknowledge the pressures of having to be perceived a certain way.

She wrote, "When the Sony hack happened and I found out how much less I was being paid than the lucky people with dicks, I didn't get mad at Sony. I got mad at myself. I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early... I didn't want to seem 'difficult' or 'spoiled,' This is an element of my personality that I've been working against for years, and based on the statistics, I don't think I'm the only woman with this issue. Are we socially conditioned to behave this way? ... Could there still be a lingering habit of trying to express our opinions in a certain way that doesn't 'offend' or 'scare' men?" "I'm over trying to find the 'adorable' way to state my opinion and still be likable! F--- that. I don't think I've ever worked for a man in charge who spent time contemplating what angle he should use to have his voice heard. It's just heard."

Since the essay was published, several actresses have also addressed the gender pay-gap. Jessica Chastain and Rooney Mara both revealed that they were paid a lot less than their male counterparts. British actress Sienna Miller stated that she passed on a role because she was offered less money than the male lead even though the amount of work was about the same.