Dame Julie Walters: 'Pay women the same for doing the same bloody job!'

Dame Julie Walters has called for women to be paid the same as men for doing “the same bloody job”.

As the BBC pledges to tackle the gender divide, Dame Julie said the entertainment industry has been underpaying women for decades.

“It’s good that we’re talking about it. It should be out there,” the actress said. Male actors have been “earning more money. Why? It’s the same bloody job!”

She told Good Housekeeping magazine: “It’s women who go to the cinema more, generally speaking, so it doesn’t make sense from that point of view either. I think it’s wrong. Equal pay is the answer.”

Dame Julie’s notable roles include starring opposite Sir Michael Caine in Educating Rita and playing Mrs Weasley in the Harry Potter franchise.

Her next role is Ellen, the housekeeper, in the Disney sequel Mary Poppins Returns. “I sing and fly! It’s great fun,” she said, adding that Emily Blunt’s performance as the magical nanny is so good that it brought her to tears.