Claire Foy, AKA The Actual Queen From The Crown, Was Paid Less Than Her Male Co-Star

Netflix

Actress Claire Foy, who played the Queen on Netflix’s hit show The Crown, was paid less for her work than her on-screen husband Matt Smith. Yes, even though she was the actual Queen.

Speaking at a conference this week, the show’s producers admitted that despite her Golden Globe-winning performance, Foy earned less than Smith – because at the time he was more famous.

The producers acknowledged that he did make more due to his Doctor Who fame, but that they would rectify that for the future.

According to the BBC, Foy was paid around £28,000 per episode for the first two seasons, while Smith’s salary remains undisclosed.

“Going forward, no one gets paid more than the Queen,” said producer Suzanne Mackie. Well, we should hope so.

Foy won’t benefit from this promise, as in the third season the cast is changing to reflect the ageing royals – the next person in line for the throne (so to speak) is Olivia Colman, who will play Queen Elizabeth in 1970s.

This is just one of the latest revelations in the long history of the pay disparity in Hollywood – in January, it was reported that Mark Wahlberg was paid $1.5m to reshoot All The Money In The World, while Michelle Williams got $1000.

The news was met with outrage from their fellow actors, prompting Wahlberg to donate his salary to the Time’s Up campaign. Williams released this statement in response:

My fellow actresses stood by me and stood up for me, my activist friends taught me to use my voice, and the most powerful men in charge, they listened and they acted. If we truly envision an equal world, it takes equal effort and sacrifice.

While the tide is slowly turning on Hollywood’s gender pay gap, it seems like there’s a lot more left to do.

• Netflix
• pay gap
• the crown