Bodyguard star Keeley Hawes asks for equal pay for equal work

"Bodyguard" star Keeley Hawes has said that she has "only just" started asking to be paid on par with her male counterparts. The actor, who features as the female lead Home Secretary Julia Montague in the BBC thriller, said it is after the success of the show that she has raised her voice demanding equal pay.

"I've only just asked to be paid the same to do exactly the same work as someone else. In the past, it was always a case of taking it, no questions asked, because if you don't someone else will take it," Hawes told The Times. The 43-year-old actor, who has worked in shows like "Line of Duty" and "The Casual Vacancy", credited fellow artiste Jennifer Lawrence for sparking the conversation regarding equal pay.

"You need a big profile to be able to stand up for yourself. It took people like Jennifer Lawrence saying it to move things forward. "It made her unpopular at the time but it's started a hugely powerful movement. Generally, the statistics for women's pay are still horrific compared with men's, but it's all moving in the right direction," she said.

Hawes features in "Bodyguard" opposite "Game of Thrones" star Richard Madden, who essays the title role in the breakout British terror drama. Recently, "Bodyguard" creator Jed Mercurio said he is "optimistic" that there will be a second season of the show.

(With inputs from agencies.)