Claire Foy has finally responded, after the news that she was paid less than her The Crown co-star Matt Smith went viral.
The 33-year-old, who played the lead role of Queen Elizabeth in the first two season’s of the show, had a lower salary than her co-star because of his previous ‘Doctor Who’ fame.
Producers of the hit Netflix series have since apologised, and now Claire has finally had her say on the controversy.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Claire said, “I’m surprised because I’m at the centre of it, and anything that I’m at the centre of like that is very, very odd, and feels very, very out of ordinary.”
“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 centre [of a story] that you didn’t particularly ask for.”
In their apology, Left Bank Pictures, who produce The Crown, said, “We want to apologise to both Claire Foy and to Matt Smith, brilliant actors and friends, who have found themselves at the centre of a media storm this week through no fault of their own.”
“Claire and Matt are incredibly gifted actors who, along with the wider cast on ‘The Crown’ have worked tirelessly to bring our characters to life with compassion and integrity.”
“As the producers of ‘The Crown’, we at Left Bank Pictures are responsible for budgets and salaries; the actors are not aware of who gets what, and cannot be held personally responsible for the pay of their colleagues.
“We understand and appreciate the conversation which is rightly being played out across society and we are absolutely united with the fight for fair pay, free of gender bias, and for a rebalancing of the industry’s treatment of women, both those in front of the camera and for those behind the scenes.
“We all have a responsibility to do what we can to ensure that these issues are tackled, and as a leading production company we want to make our contribution to the debate. As company policy we are engaged in conversations with ERA 50:50 and going forward are keen to talk to Times Up UK; organisations which are working to ensure all women have a voice,” they added.
