Gabrielle Union talks equal pay amid BET lawsuit: 'I put in the same hours as most men'

Gabrielle Union talked about her lawsuit against BET. (Reuters)

Gabrielle Union is all for standing up for what she believes in, especially when it comes to equal rights for women and minorities.

ET's Courtney Tezeno caught up with the 44-year-old actress at the Los Angeles premiere of "Last Christmas" on Thursday, and chatted about why equal pay is so important in the entertainment industry. "My mortgage alone," Union quipped. "You know, I put in the same hours as most men -- if not more -- and I deserve to get paid the same."

She added, "Equal pay. Equal work. That's how it should be. Yeah, and if you stand up for nothing, you'll fall for anything."

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Union is currently in the middle of a lawsuit against the BET Network for breach of contract and negligent misrepresentation, among other things, over her show, "Being Mary Jane." The program's leading lady is alleging that the network wants to shoot 20 episodes of the series back-to-back versus what they previously agreed, which according to the lawsuit, is no more than 13 episodes per season. Union also claims the network is attempting to "fraudulently extend the term" of her contract.

However, the show treks on, and the actress seemed excited for the guest stars that will appear in the fourth season, which premieres in January.

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Guest stars include "Barbershop's" Michael Ealy, Birth of a Nation's Chik Okonkwo, "The Black List's" Valarie Pettiford, "Pretty Little Liars" Nicholas Gonzalez, "Revenge's" Ashton Holmes, rapper Dave East, "Love & Hip Hop's" Cardi B and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. Lisa Vidal will also reprise her role as Kara Lynch.

"It's just very juicy. It's in New York," Union said of relocating her character for the upcoming season. "She's starting over. It's very, very juicy."

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Union is also happy to be reuniting with some of her former co-stars in "Almost Christmas." "So many of us have known each other for a thousand years. Me and Monique did "Two Can Play That Game" together so many years ago [in 2001], and she's never lost a beat," she gushed over the comedian. "She is the Queen of Comedy for a reason, and she brought it full force in this movie."

Union also had nothing but great things to say about Omar Epps. "We started together on "Love and Basketball" [in 2000], and here we still are making magic together," she bragged. "He's just a phenomenal co-star and was kind enough to come play with us."

"Almost Christmas" hits theaters Nov. 11.

WATCH: Gabrielle Union Sues BET for an Excess of $1 Million Over Being Mary Jane Contract