Well, here’s some news that should make every actress in Hollywood angry. According to Debra Birnbaum in Variety, reporting from Jerusalem, the award winning series “The Crown” did star Claire Foy a real injustice.
Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem, Left Bank producer Suzanne Mackie revealed that Foy, the star of “The Crown” playing Queen Elizabeth, was paid less than Matt Smith, who played Prince Philip. Birnbaum included this in her report.
Asked whether Foy was paid the same as Smith, the producers acknowledged that he did make more due to his “Doctor Who” fame, but that they would rectify that for the future. “Going forward, no one gets paid more than the Queen,” said Mackie.
Going forward? I’m sorry, what? Foy carried the two seasons of the show, was the actual star. Foy won a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress, was nominated for an Emmy and may still win one for Season 2. Something is really, really wrong here. Hopefully her new agents can go back and get some more money for her.
PS There’s no guarantee that the new cast of “The Crown” will have the impact of this one. Foy should be paid for setting up the whole series, frankly.