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GWYNETH PALTROW has spoken about why being paid less than her male co-stars feels so "shitty".

"It can be painful," she told Variety, in an interview for its Power of Women issue."Your salary is a way to quantify what you're worth.If men are being paid a lot more for doing the same thing, it feels shitty."

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Having starred in the highest-grossing film franchise of all time, Paltrow knows a thing or two about raking in cinemagoers' dollars for the studios.She plays Pepper Potts in the Iron Man films, alongside Robert Downey Jr, and although she is perfectly comfortable that his role is more crucial than hers - she's less comfortable with the discrepancy between their remunerations.

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"Look, nobody is worth the money that Robert Downey Jr is worth," she said, "but if I told you the disparity, you would probably be surprised."

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Paltrow was the 12th highest-paid actress in the world this year, earning $9 million, while Downey Jr - the highest paid actor - made $80 million.In comparison, the highest-paid actress, Jennifer Lawrence, made $52 million.