Earlier this year it was revealed that Claire Foy, or Queen Elizabeth on Netflix’s The Crown, is paid over $10,000 less per episode than her co-star Matt Smith, who plays Prince Phillip on the show.
Photo by Emily Wang on Unsplash
With its $7M budget per episode, The Crown has made history as one of the most expensive series ever made. That, coupled with the fact that the show’s premise celebrates the power of women, makes this pay gap revelation particularly troubling.
The show’s producers admitted to the salary difference during a panel discussion at the INTV conference in Jerusalem. Their justification was that Smith is paid more due to his Doctor Who fame. However, they also stated that this equal pay issue will cease to exist for the rest of the show.
“Going forward,” said producer Suzanne Mackie, “no one gets paid more than the queen.”
As the show’s timeline jumps to the ’70s, however, the role of Queen Elizabeth will be recast, so Foy will not benefit from the policy change in the upcoming seasons. However, Left Bank Pictures, The Crown’s production company, released a statement announcing that Foy will receive $275K to match the amount her male co-star made.
“Claire is one of my best friends, and I believe that we should be paid equally and fairly and there should be equality for all,” Smith said in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter. “I support her completely, and I’m pleased that it was resolved and they made amends for it because that what’s needed to happen.”
Left Bank Pictures accepted full responsibility for the pay discrepancy and explicitly stated that Netflix was not involved in budgeting and salaries.
“We are absolutely united with the fight for fair pay, free of gender bias and for a rebalancing of the industry’s treatment of women in front of the camera and behind the scenes,” Left Bank Pictures said in the statement.
Foy recently broke her silence about the ordeal at CinemaCon.
“I certainly won’t be naïve about those things,” the actress said. “It’s really opened my eyes about what I am allowed to have an opinion about, and what I’m allowed to stand up for myself about. And I think that’s really changed my approach to myself and other women in this industry. It’s been only a positive thing – even though, embarrassing.”
Featured Image by Ashton Mullins on Unsplash
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