Claire Foy Reportedly Received $275,000 Back Pay After 'The Crown' Wage Gap Scandal
Splashy Netflix series "The Crown" was tarnished earlier this year after it was revealed that its star, Claire Foy, received a lower salary than her co-star, Matt Smith, despite playing the queen of freaking England. Now, a new report suggests that the team behind the show has finally made the situation right.
According to the Daily Mail, Foy has received £200,000 -- approximately $275,000 -- in back pay for her role as Queen Elizabeth II on the first two seasons of "The Crown." It's unclear exactly who ponied up the cash, since the Daily Mail's report simply says it came from "the show's producers." The likely benefactor is production company Left Bank Productions (which previously took responsibility for the wage gap), though based on how much money the streaming service initially threw at the series, it seems like Netflix could definitely afford to shell out some additional cash.
Whoever reportedly wrote the check, it was a smart decision, since Foy wound up being the breakout of the series, snagging a Golden Globe, a SAG award, and lots of critical accolades for her work. Left Bank Productions initially defended their decision to give Smith more money, since his role on beloved British series "Doctor Who" meant he was a much bigger star than Foy when filming on "The Crown" started. But after fan furor boiled over, they quickly issued an apology.
Smith alluded to Foy's overdue payday in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, telling the trade earlier this month that he agreed with the backlash.
"Claire is one of my best friends, and I believe that we should be paid equally and fairly and there should be equality for all," the actor told THR. "I support her completely, and I'm pleased that it was resolved and they made amends for it because that's what needed to happen."
We couldn't agree more. All hail the queen.
[via: The Daily Mail, The Hollywood Reporter]