Eleanor Tomlinson has sparked another gender pay gap conversation, after insisting that she and her co-star Aidan Turner should be paid the same.
The actress, who plays Demelza in Poldark, admitted that she would be “pretty upset” if she discovered that her salary was less than his – and it turns out, it is.
In an interview with Red magazine, the 26-year-old was asked if they were paid the same, and she replied, “My guess is no.”
She continued, “And while at the beginning that might have been OK – he was a bigger star than me – now I don’t think so. We’re equal leads of the show, so I’d be pretty upset if the gap hadn’t closed.”
Eleanor’s comments then prompted show bosses to confirm that Aidan’s wage is higher than hers.
The cast is paid by production company Mammoth Screen, and they said, “While we can’t and won’t disclose details, we do pay Aidan more for playing Ross Poldark, as throughout all series Ross has significantly more screen time than any other character.”
The news comes after Claire Foy publicly addressed her pay difference with co-star Matt Smith for The Crown.
Eleanor has starred in Poldark since it first aired on BBC1 in 2015, and the show has gone down a hit with viewers ever since.
One of the most talked about scenes from the show was when Aidan’s character appeared shirtless while scything a field – and the actor has grown tired of talking about it.
Reflecting on the famous moment, Eleanor said, “It was all people could talk about. And when you make eight hours of television and people can only remember two scenes, you’re like, ‘Oh come on.'”
“But I get it!’ Like, don’t get me wrong. I’m looking, going, ‘Sure, yeah. I’m with you ladies.’ But I can see why he got frustrated with it,” she added.
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