Claire Foy received critical acclaim, a Golden Globe and a slew of other accolades for her performance in The Crown, but only now has she finally received fair pay.
According to a report in The Daily Mail in 2018, the 34-year-old Brit has been been handed £200,000 (AU$365,000) in back-pay, after it was revealed she earned less for her leading role than co-star Matt Smith (Prince Phillip).
Foy played Queen Elizabeth II for the first two seasons of the Netflix drama, which focused on the early years of the monarch’s reign.
Given the pair shot 20 episodes, it seems the former Dr Who star was paid approximately £10,000 ($18,200) more per episode for his role.
Laura Brodnik chats to Vanessa Kirby (a.k.a. Princess Margaret) about her role in The Crown. (Post continues below.)
The Crown pay discrepancy came to light in March, when the series’ executive producer, Suzanne Mackie, revealed at a television conference in Jerusalem that Smith, 35, received a bigger paycheck because of his profile.
Left Bank Pictures, the UK production company behind the lavish series, later publicly apologised to Foy over the disparity.
“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,” the firm told The Daily Mail.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in April, Smith said he supported equal pay for all women - including his co-star and friend, Foy.
“I support her completely, and I’m pleased that it was resolved and they made amends for it because that’s what needed to happen," he said.
“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.”
Both actors only signed on to The Crown for the first two series. Olivia Coleman and Tobias Menzies will take over their roles for the forthcoming season, which will follow the monarch into the 1970s and middle age.
Top Comments
This is the wrong case to use to illustrate gender-based pay differences. It is perfectly reasonable to pay according to an actor's profile. Smith had a much bigger following (which likely made a significant contribution to the subsequent ratings and success of the show), so was paid more. There's nothing wrong with that.
Completely agree. If someone like Kate Winslet plays the queen, she would get paid more than the Smith guy!
Not to mention the fact that The Crown is somewhat of an ensemble cast: there's a great deal of screen time for more than just the person playing the Queen.