--- title: Carrie Preston Says She Was Paid Less Than Her Male Costars—Twice description: Carrie Preston stars in NBC’s new comedy 'Crowded,' but she says that on previous shows, she's suffered from pay inequality. canonical: https://time.com/4290582/carrie-preston-unequal-pay/ author: Maggie Parker article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-12T18:55:54.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:44:54.617Z og:title: Carrie Preston Says She Was Paid Less Than Her Male Costars—Twice og:description: She says she found out in the final season of a show that she'd been paid unfairly og:url: https://time.com/4290582/carrie-preston-unequal-pay/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcaf2489f5187c239/69888ec00a4a22c6439c9345/carrie-preston-unequal-pay.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: carrie-preston-unequal-pay og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Carrie Preston Says She Was Paid Less Than Her Male Costars—Twice twitter:description: She says she found out in the final season of a show that she'd been paid unfairly twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcaf2489f5187c239/69888ec00a4a22c6439c9345/carrie-preston-unequal-pay.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Carrie Preston Says She Was Paid Less Than Her Male Costars—Twice > Sponsored content. 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It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Some of The World's Most Powerful Women Share Their Best Advice [Watch (HLS stream): Some of The World's Most Powerful Women Share Their Best Advice](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/LF8Rmcmf.m3u8) (1:11)  _Published 2016-02-02_ by [Maggie Parker](https://time.com/author/maggie-parker/) ## Maggie Parker Apr 12, 2016 6:55 PM UTC  Carrie Preston arrives at the Ninth Annual Women In Film pre-Oscar Cocktail Party held at HYDE Sunset: Kitchen + Cocktails on February 26, 2016 in West Hollywood, California. Carrie Preston arrives at the Ninth Annual Women In Film pre-Oscar Cocktail Party held at HYDE Sunset: Kitchen + Cocktails on February 26, 2016 in West Hollywood, California. Michael Tran—Getty Images by [Maggie Parker](https://time.com/author/maggie-parker/) ## Maggie Parker Apr 12, 2016 6:55 PM UTC Many [celebrities have spoken out about pay discrimination in Hollywood](http://motto.time.com/4289810/equal-pay-quotes/), and Carrie Preston, star of NBC’s new comedy _Crowded_, now joins their ranks. “I was on a TV show and found out in the final season that I had been making a good deal less than a male actor who had a comparable size role as me,” Preston told Motto. “So for my next TV deal, I requested equal pay. I was told I got it, only to find out my male costar still got extra perks that I didn’t.” Preston declined to say which shows paid her less. Preston said that there isn’t much an actress can do if she finds out about pay inequality after signing a contract. “Unfortunately, actors’ salaries get set before work commences, even before the final audition in a lot of cases,” she said. “If it is a series, we sign a five- to seven-year deal. Those get renegotiated down the line if the show is a hit, but otherwise we have to be content with the initial deal. It is very hard to fight it.” _Watch some of the world’s most successful women share the best advice they’ve ever gotten:_ **_Read more:_** [_Geena Davis on Inequality in Hollywood: ‘It’s a Big Relief Not to Pretend’_](http://time.com/4077177/geena-davis-women-in-hollywood/) The fact that people so rarely share their salaries doesn’t help. “It’s hard to know the truth,” she said. “I think transparency is the only way. … Many people would not like it, but it would help force employers to be more fair.” ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] Don't wait for people to give you your power. Just take it. Think of yourself as a thermostat. You do have to have situational leadership. Sometimes you have to dial things up. And sometimes you have to dial things down. Best piece of advice? Sing every day. Resist the temptation to hire in your likeness. So the best piece of advice I've ever gotten is super simple. Work harder than everybody else. Hire people that think differently than you do. That add something different than what you have to offer. From my father before I went to basic training just to keep my sense of humor. Make it a great place to work. And you'll attract talent. You can develop talent. And great products come from great teams. Being patient. Don't be so restless. You're not the smartest person in the room. It's okay to take risks. Play nice. It'll always come back to you no matter what happens. You need to collaborate with your colleagues and make them as successful as yourself. There are very few decisions, career decisions, that you make that are irreversible. Always be yourself. 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