How This Netflix Star Made Sure She Got Paid Her Worth

"House of Cards" star Robin Wright clearly knows how to get what she's worth.

The Netflix star plays Claire Underwood opposite Kevin Spacey's Frank Underwood.

It's seriously fair to say "House of Cards" would be nothing without Wright's untouchable portrayal of Claire. She brings an icy fire to the series that's totally necessary.

In fact, for a period of time, Claire was more popular than Frank, and Wright used that period to her advantage.

Spacey and Wright both won Golden Globes for their work, but Spacey made more money.

Spacey reportedly made $500,000 per episode of "House of Cards," while Wright made around $420,000 per episode, according to the Huffington Post.

On Tuesday, at The Rockefeller Foundation, Wright said,

I was looking at statistics and Claire Underwood's character was more popular than [Frank's] for a period of time. So I capitalized on that moment. I was like, 'You better pay me or I'm going to go public.'

It was a move that would have made Claire proud. Rather than stand down and allow herself to be paid less than her male co-worker, Wright took the tools she had and laid them on the table.

The move paid off. She now has the same salary as Spacey.

The gender pay gap is something that affects all industries and all levels of pay.

The ACLU encouraged an investigation into pay disparity in Hollywood. Even mega-stars, like Jennifer Lawrence, are affected by the gender pay gap.

Thanks to Sony getting hacked, Lawrence found out she was being paid less than her male co-stars. She was, understandably, frustrated by this and came forward and wrote about the experience, encouraging other people to speak up.

While it's hard to find out if women are being paid less than their male co-workers, there are ways to counter the distinct possibility. Asking for a higher salary always helps, like Lawrence wrote, as is open communication when possible.

Ultimately, we all have tools to make sure we're making equal pay. Although we may not have the same sort of platform as Wright, we do have voices, and we can speak up when we notice inequalities.

With Wright (and Claire) as your inspiration, go on and get your worth.

Citations: The New York Times, Huffington Post