Emmy Rossum felt 'validated' by William H. Macy's support of her equal pay plea

Emmy Rossum felt "validated" by William H. Macy supporting her plea for equal pay on hit U.S. TV show Shameless.

The 30-year-old actress stars as Fiona in the series, alongside William as her on-screen father Frank Gallagher. Earlier this year (17), she revealed she had begun negotiations with bosses to get the same pay as William, after several seasons of being underpaid.

Emmy has become something of a spokesperson for equal pay since then, and said in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter that her fight was made easier by the fact that her request was supported by William.

"I’ll tell you the person who supported me the most was William H. Macy,” she said. "To have the man counterpart on my show be like, ‘Yes, she does deserve this and more’ was so validating. And after it became public, it was a quick resolution."

Emmy's remarks come after William previously opened up about his "no-brainer" decision to back the actress in her battle.

"It's showbiz's job to get us for as cheaply as they can - and our job to say no," he said. "It's unconscionable they would pay a woman less for the same job."

The Phantom of the Opera actress also previously revealed that while she was happy to receive a lower pay packet for her first few seasons on the show, as her character grew, she felt that should be reflected in her salary.

"When the show started, Bill was one of the first people attached. I was the last piece in the puzzle and I'd never done TV before, and I obviously wasn't as well known, while Bill is an Oscar nominee," she said during an appearance on the panel at the Vulture Festival. "So for the first few seasons, a difference made a lot of sense.

"As the time went on, the leadership role started to feel somewhat more shared. I felt that I loved the show, that I loved everyone in it, but I just wanted it to feel right."