According to The Daily Mail, The Crown’s Claire Foy has received £200,000 in back pay following a disparity in earnings between the actress and co-star, Matt Smith.
A source allegedly divulged the information to The Daily Mail, stating, “The difference in the wages between Matt and Claire in the 20 episodes of the show so far was backdated. It has all been amicably resolved.”
Back in early March, producers on The Crown confirmed that Claire Foy, who played Queen Elizabeth through seasons 1 and 2, was paid less than Matt Smith. Smith played the Queen’s husband, Prince Philip. Reasoning for the disparity was, according to the producers, was due to Smith’s popularity from his role as the Eleventh Doctor on Doctor Who.
Both Foy and Smith spoke about the disparity in the weeks following the news.
Smith, in a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter at the Tribeca Film Festival, said, “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. 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. Going forward, I think we should all bear in mind that we need to strive to make this better and a more even playing field for everyone involved — but not just in our industry, in all industries.”
Foy, meanwhile, spoke to Entertainment Weekly. “I’m surprised because I’m at the center of it, and anything that I’m at the center of like that is very very odd, and feels very very out of ordinary,” she said. “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 center [of a story] that you didn’t particularly ask for.”
An official confirmation of Foy receiving backdated pay has not been released by Netflix, or the producers behind The Crown at this time.
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