'The Crown' gender pay gap controversy: Lead actress Claire Foy to get £200,000 in back pay
The Crown
It was earlier revealed that the lead actress who plays the role of Queen Elizabeth, around whom the story revolves around was paid lesser than her on-screen husband who plays the role of Prince Philip.
In an interesting development on the front of The Crown gender pay gap controversy, lead actress Claire Foy who played the role of Queen Elizabeth in the first two seasons, the current monarch to the British throne -- will now receive back pay for her performance after show producers admitted she was paid less than co-star Matt Smith, who portrayed Prince Philip.
According to a report published in a leading UK-based daily, Claire would get about $274,000 (£200,000) in back pay. Both the producers on the show, Suzanne Mackie and Andy Harries, brought up the topic of wage gap during a conference in Jerusalem earlier this year. The duo claimed that Matt earned more money because of his stint on the BBC series Doctor Who.
When this was revealed, Claire who went on to win a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her role on the show commented: “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. “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.”
Meanwhile, Matt told a website that he totally believed in him and Claire being paid equally. He 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 of that what’s needed to happen.”
He added, “ 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.”
The Crown’s production company, Left Bank Pictures has now confirmed that it will pay Olivia Colman, who will take over the role of The Queen in the third season of the show, the same wage as the show’s new Prince Philip, Tobias Menzies.
The company also issued a statement of apology to both Matt and Claire. It read: “We want to apologise to both Claire Foy and to Matt Smith, brilliant actors and friends, who have found themselves at the centre of a media storm this week through no fault of their own.”