Over 10 years ago now, in 2013, Netflix released its very first original series, House of Cards. The show, which followed ruthless politician Francis Underwood, starred both Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright as husband and wife. But, as it turns out, Spacey and Wright were paid quite differently for the same show.

In a recent chat at the Monte-Carlo TV Festival, Wright looked back at her fight for equal pay.

“It was difficult, I am going to be honest,” she told Variety. “When I said, ‘I think it’s only fair because my character became as popular as [Spacey’s], they said: ‘We can’t pay you the same as an actor, so we will make you exec producer and you can direct. We will give you three different paychecks.'”

When she asked why, producers gave her a surprising response. “Because you didn’t win an Academy Award,” they said.

Prior to House of Cards, Spacey was a two-time Oscar winner. He won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1996 for The Usual Suspects and Best Actor in a Leading Role for American Beauty in 2000. Wright, on the other hand, had no Oscars under her belt.

“That has been the protocol for years — it just is,” she explained. “If you say, ‘Why did so-and-so female not get the same amount as Will Smith?’ They say, ‘It will increase after you win.’ Nomination, not so much.”

“Why does it have to do anything with a raise?” she asked.

Luckily, Wright being promoted to executive producer and occasional director had its benefits, too. “I learned so much on that show,” she said. “I didn’t feel any pressure. I was encouraged to do it.”

Spacey was eventually fired from the show in 2017 following multiple sexual misconduct allegations. He was later removed from the sixth season of the show, with Wright taking the lead. The series ended in season 6 in 2018.