When word broke that American Hustle star Amy Adams was paid less than her male co-stars, gender-gap-related outrage erupted on the Internet. The news, which was leaked during the Sony hacking saga, created one of many P.R. nightmares for the studio. Former studio co-chairman Amy Pascal was forced to explain why Adams and her co-star Jennifer Lawrence were paid less than the male cast members in the David O. Russell film. Months later, Lawrence penned an open letter on the subject. And now, just over a year after the American Hustle pay gap made headlines, Adams has opened up for the first time about her experience.

In an upcoming issue of British GQ, the five-time Oscar-nominated actress reveals that she knew she was being paid less than her male co-stars, but understandably wanted to avoid the controversy.

“I didn’t speak about it before and I’m probably not going to speak about it forever, because I disagreed with . . . not Jennifer per se, but people who had opinions on how women should go about negotiating.”

Speaking candidly about how Hollywood negotiations work, Adams said, “The truth is we hire people to negotiate on our behalf, men and women . . . I knew I was being paid less and I still agreed to do it because the option comes down to do it or don’t do it. So you just have to decide if it’s worth it for you. It doesn’t mean I liked it.”

Adams also revealed in the interview that she supported Lawrence’s essay, which was published in Lena Dunham’s Lenny newsletter, explaining, “I’m really proud of Jennifer. What I liked [about the essay] is that it was not necessarily about getting paid, or not getting paid… It’s like we [women] have been conditioned to not be controversial, to not cause problems. It’s about finding your voice.”

Up next, Adams shifts gears from drama to action for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, out in theaters on March 25.