“Going forward, no one gets paid more than the Queen” | Netflix admit The Crown’s Claire Foy was paid less than male co-star

Claire Foy The Crown

Producers of Netflix’s The Crown have admitted that Claire Foy was paid less than her co-star, Matt Smith.

Foy, who played a young Queen Elizabeth II in the programme, won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of the monarch in 2017. It has been reported that the actress was paid $40,000 an episode.

It is is unclear what Smith, who plays Prince Philip, was paid but producers admitted he had earned a higher salary.

According to Variety, during a panel discussion the series’ producers, Suzanne Mackie and Andy Harris acknowledged that they had paid Smith more due to his Doctor Who fame.

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

However, Foy will not benefit from the foreseeable equal pay, as her time on the show has come to an end. Series three of The Crown focuses on the monarch during the mid-1970s and the main roles needed to be recast to accommodate for the jump in time.

It has already been announced that actress, Olivia Colman will be taking over the role of Queen, but it has not yet been confirmed who will be playing the role of Prince Philip.

This is the latest in a long line of equal pay disputes to come out of Hollywood and the film and TV industry.

In 2017, it was reported that Mark Wahlberg, the highest paid actor at the time, earned $42 million more than Emma Stone, the best paid actress.

Mark Wahlberg, best known for roles in Transformers and Ted, earned $68 million last year, making him the highest paid actor of 2016.

This is compared to the $26m (£20m) for the best-paid woman, Emma Stone.

About the author

Alison is the Digital Content Editor for WeAreTheCity. She has a BA Honours degree in Journalism and History from the University of Portsmouth. She has previously worked in the marketing sector and in a copywriting role. Alison’s other passions and hobbies include writing, blogging and travelling.
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