Claire Foy Is “Not Surprised” at the Outrage Over The Crown ’s Pay Gap
Given the ongoing conversation in Hollywood around pay parity and industry sexism, it’s no wonder that even people who didn’t watch Netflix’s The Crown were angered by the revelation that Claire Foy, the series’ star, was paid less than her male co-star, Matt Smith, seemingly due to his star power. Last week, the kerfuffle prompted production company Left Bank pictures, which oversees salary negotiations for the show’s actors, to issue a public apology for placing Foy and Smith “at the center of a media storm . . . through no fault of their own.” Despite their place in the center of the controversy, both Foy and Smith—who were apparently unaware of the salary discrepancy until the news broke—stayed mum last week. But this weekend, Foy finally shared her thoughts, with an air of diplomacy to rival any ruler’s.
“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,” Foy told Entertainment Weekly on Friday. “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.”
Her onscreen father, Jared Harris, who played King George VI, was less discreet. “I think it’s an embarrassment for Left Bank Pictures,” he told Digital Spy when asked about the pay gap. “It’s got nothing to do with Matt Smith. It’s probably nothing to do with Netflix either.”
He suggested that Left Bank could atone for the situation by paying Foy enough to at least put her on equal footing with her co-star: “I understand they made an apology but, you know, an apology and a check would be more welcome,” he said. “She worked longer hours. Her performance is a huge reason why this thing is going to have a season three, four, five, and six . . . send her a pay check and, in retrospect, bring her pay up to parity.”
As part of a total cast overhaul for the new season, both Foy and Smith will be replaced, with Olivia Colman taking over the role of Queen Elizabeth. Her compensation has not been made public, though Netflix has promised that, “Going forward, no one gets paid more than the queen.”
