Jennifer Lawrence has defended Leonardo DiCaprio’s higher salary for Don’t Look Up.

The actress stars alongside DiCaprio in equal billing on the satirical black comedy film directed by Adam McKay (The Big Short), which follows two low-level astronomers as they attempt to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy the planet.

According to Variety, DiCaprio will receive $30million (£22.5m) for the movie, while Lawrence will be paid $25million (£18.7m) – 20 per cent less than her co-star.

Speaking about the disparity to Vanity Fair, Lawrence said: “Leo brings in more box office than I do. I’m extremely fortunate and happy with my deal.

“In other situations, what I have seen – and I’m sure other women in the workforce have seen as well – is that it’s extremely uncomfortable to inquire about equal pay. And if you do question something that appears unequal, you’re told it’s not gender disparity but they can’t tell you what exactly it is.”

Lawrence also revealed how she pushed to have her name appear first on the opening credits, after the pair originally had “diagonal billing”.

“I was number one on the call sheet, so… I thought [the credits] should reflect that,” Lawrence said. “Leo was very gracious about it.”

She added: “I guess maybe somewhere down the line, I kicked the stone further, like, ‘What if it wasn’t equal?’”

The actress recently explained why she decided to step back from the limelight, believing she wasn’t “pumping out the quality that I should have” in recent film appearances.

Alongside Lawrence and DiCaprio, Don’t Look Up stars Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande, Cate Blanchett and Meryl Streep.

Don’t Look Up will be released in select cinemas on December 10. It’ll be released on Netflix from December 24.

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