One of the good things about the Sony Hack was that we got some intimate information about pay disparities between actors and actresses. I would imagine some of the information was even news to many major actresses, like how Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams got paid much, much less than their male counterparts in American Hustle. Some actresses used the information to their advantage: when Charlize Theron learned that Chris Hemsworth was getting a better paycheck for The Huntsman, she demanded and GOT an equal paycheck.

Even if you’re a director or producer not directly affected by the Sony Hack and the details of the crazy double-standard pay scales, you should probably still keep your nose clean and not make any kind of egregious pay disparities between your male lead and your female leads. That’s not what happened though. According to Star Magazine, Matt Damon got $18 million MORE than Jessica Chastain in The Martian, a film where their roles are pretty much equal.

This doesn’t look to be a fair game. Their talent and award-winning trophies may have the same weight—but Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain’s paychecks sure don’t in their upcoming movie The Martian.

“Matt’s getting $25 million for this role, with Jessica earning around $7 million, even though Jessica is really in demand and worked just as hard on the film,” a source exclusively tells Star.

But Jessica isn’t ignoring the reputation that divas on set can so easily get—and she really doesn’t want to become one so she’s keeping her feelings to herself. The last thing she wants to be labeled is difficult to work with because that’s when roles start to dry up for stars in Hollywood.

“She does think it’s unfair, but figures it’s simply a case of Matt’s team negotiating better than hers,” explains the insider. “And while Matt is embarrassed by the disparity, he’s not about to turn down the extra cash.”

[From Star Magazine]

While I think Matty D could easily command a $20 million-plus paycheck for another turn as Jason Bourne – by far his most successful franchise/role – it surprises me that he was able to get $25 million for a film that probably already has a crazy, bloated budget because of all of the special effects. Jessica’s paycheck seems about what I would expect – I imagine she’s commanded somewhere between $5 million and $10 million for a few years. While I think Matty D is the bigger star – and he will certainly have top billing and likely a heavier promotional schedule – it’s insane that the two leads of the same film have such wildly disparate paychecks.

(Shh… don’t tell CB, because she loves him, but I judge Matty D for not standing up for the sisters. If he was aware of the pay disparity, which Star says he was, I would expect him to pull rank and stand up for what is right.)

Here’s the trailer for The Martian. The special effects look incredible. But did anyone else expect the landscape to look… red? THIS IS NOT RED ENOUGH FOR MARS.

Photos courtesy of WENN.