Oscar-winning actress Roberts starred in the 2003 film

The 19 musicians were paid less than their male counterparts during the making of Mona Lisa Smile.

The film's producers - Revolution Studios and Smile Productions LLC - agreed to settle the lawsuit, but did not admit wrongdoing.

Under the settlement, each female musician will get $3,500 (�1,955).

Art professor

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced on Tuesday that the producers had agreed to settle the case, which accused them of paying their female musicians less than men for the same work.

Stella Yamada, a trial lawyer for the EEOC, said the case drew the agency's attention to the entertainment industry, where workers such as musicians might work just three days.

"Musicians have a hard time knowing where to go," she said.

"We're happy for the females who came forward."

In Mona Lisa Smile, Roberts plays an art history professor at a women-only college who persuades her students to seek more from life than the perfect husband.

The film's producers were unavailable for comment.