‘He finds it odd’: Claire Foy breaks silence over Matt Smith pay gap on The Crown

Foy's salary was less than Smith's despite playing the leading role 
Controversial: Claire Foy was paid less than Matt Smith
Emma Powell26 March 2018
The Weekender

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Claire Foy has broken her silence to address the pay disparity between her and co-star Matt Smith.on The Crown.

Foy was paid a lower wage than Smith, who played Prince Phillip, despite having the leading role as Queen Elizabeth II in the hit Netflix drama.

Foy said she was not surprised by the reaction from fans, claiming Smith also found it “odd” to be at the centre of the furore.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly she said: “I’m surprised because I’m at the centre of it, and anything that I’m at the centre of like that is very, very odd, and feels very, very out of ordinary.

Co-stars: The Crown's Claire Foy and Matt Smith (PA )
PA

“But I’m not [surprised about the interest in the story] in the sense that it was a female-led drama. I’m not surprised that people saw the story and went, ‘Oh that’s a bit odd’.

“But I know that Matt feels the same that I do, that it’s odd to find yourself at the centre [of a story] that you didn’t particularly ask for.”

Fans launched a petition in the wake of the revelation, calling on Smith to “make up for the sexist pay gap” by donating the difference in his and Foy’s paychecks to The Time’s Up movement which aims to stamp out inequality and harassment in the work place. Smith has yet to address the controversy.

Leading lady: Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown

Show producers Suzanne Mackie and Andy Harries made the revelation about Foy’s pay during a panel discussion earlier this month.

According to Variety, they were asked whether Smith and Foy were paid equally, with the producers confirming that Smith had made more “due to his Doctor Who fame”.

Claire Foy - In pictures

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Mackie then added: “Going forward, no one gets paid more than the Queen.”

Left Bank Pictures, which makes The Crown on behalf of Netflix, recently apologised for the pay disparity and subsequent fall out.

A statement from the company read: “As the producers of The Crown, we at Left Bank Pictures are responsible for budgets and salaries; the actors are not aware of who gets what, and cannot be held personally responsible for the pay of their colleagues.”

Foy and Smith’s tenures as the royals have finished, with Olivia Colman confirmed to take on Her Majesty for series three. Smith’s replacement has yet to be revealed.

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