Sienna Miller is opening up about the quiet generosity of late "Black Panther" star Chadwick Boseman.
Miller, who co-starred with Boseman in the 2019 action thriller "21 Bridges," revealed in the new issue of Empire that Boseman helped to cover part of her salary for the film. "I didn't know whether or not to tell this story, and I haven't yet. But I am going to tell it, because I think it's a testament to who he was," said the 38-year-old actress.
"This was a pretty big budget film, and I know that everybody understands about the pay disparity in Hollywood, but I asked for a number that the studio wouldn't get to. And because I was hesitant to go back to work and my daughter was starting school and it was an inconvenient time, I said, ‘I'll do it if I'm compensated in the right way,'" continued Miller.
"And Chadwick ended up donating some of his salary to get me to the number that I had asked for. He said that that was what I deserved to be paid," she said.
Miller, who shares 8-year-old daughter Marlowe with ex-boyfriend Tom Sturridge, said she was blown away by Boseman's show of support.
"It was about the most astounding thing that I've experienced. That kind of thing just doesn't happen. He said, ‘You're getting paid what you deserve, and what you're worth.' It's just unfathomable to imagine another man in that town behaving that graciously or respectfully," she marveled.
Boseman died Aug. 28 at age 43 after a private four-year battle with colon cancer. Since his death, many of the actor's Hollywood peers have shared tributes describing his thoughtfulness toward others.
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Miller said she'd told the story of Boseman's kindness toward her to several other male stars "and they all go very very quiet and go home and probably have to sit and think about things for a while."
While another powerful Hollywood actor might have offered Miller the money for a little publicity, for Boseman "there was no showiness, it was, 'Of course I'll get you to that number, because that's what you should be paid.'"
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