Earlier this month, fans of Netflix’s popular show The Crown were (understandably) royally pissed off when it became public that Matt Smith, who played Prince Philip in the first two seasons, earned more than Claire Foy, who played Queen Elizabeth II.
As the star and titular character in the show, it really doesn’t make much sense that Claire Foy would be paid less than a supporting actor, right?
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Foy responded to the criticism: “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…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 [Smith] 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.”
In truth, Matt Smith is a pretty decent actor and seems like a nice person, but that’s no excuse for him to be paid more!
The collective outrage provoked a response from Left Bank, the shows production company. Creative director Suzanne Mackie said, “Going forward, no one gets paid more than the queen.”
As nice as a gesture in response to a PR nightmare that is, Mackie, you couldn’t have thought of this sooner? Isn’t paying your lead actress more just common sense? Foy is leaving the show after the second season, because they have to age the characters. But she deserved to be paid her dues just as much as the next actress will.
Header Image: AP