The producers of the hit Netflix series “The Crown” found themselves in a bit of hot water recently when it was revealed that co-stars Matt Smith and Claire Foy were paid different amounts, with Smith making significantly more than Foy. This was an issue because Foy is the clear lead of the series, but as the producers explained, Smith had his “Doctor Who” fame that led to him getting more money.
READ MORE: Lead Actress Claire Foy Made Less Than Co-Star Matt Smith On ‘The Crown’
However, those producers quickly said that everything would be rectified moving forward, with future seasons seeing the lead actress getting paid more than everyone else. Of course, this was seen as “too little, too late,” as the upcoming season would feature a time-jump and an entirely new cast.
In the aftermath, apologies were made and everyone seems to be okay with the outcome, however, neither of the two actors publicly spoke of the incident, until now.
Matt Smith recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the issue and said:
“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. I support her completely, and I’m pleased that it was resolved and they made amends for it because that what’s needed to happen. Going forward, I think we should all bear in mind that we need to strive to make this better and a more even playing field for everyone involved — but not just in our industry, in all industries.”
As THR points out, it’s unclear what “made amends” means in the statement. Until now, it was assumed that the whole situation had already played out and that the apology was all that Foy would receive. However, with that statement, it sure does sound like perhaps Netflix and/or the production company did something else to rectify the disparity.
There’s also the option that perhaps Smith was just talking about the “amends” being the way the studio will handle future seasons. That would, of course, mean that Foy is still left with nothing but kind words.
Other than that, the statement is exactly what you would expect from Smith. Hopefully, we’ll find out if anything happened behind the scenes if/when Claire Foy makes a statement of her own.