Even ‘royals’ can suffer from the gender pay gap.
It has been revealed that British actress Claire Foy, who portrayed Queen Elizabeth II in the hugely successful series, The Crown, was paid less than her co-star, Matt Smith, who portrayed her husband, Prince Phillip.
The pay gap exits despite Claire having significantly more screen time than Matt. She also won a Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild awards for her portrayal of the Monarch, while Matt was not similarly honoured.
The show’s producers, Suzanne Mackie and Andy Harries, made the shock revelation during a panel discussion about the series at the INTV Conference in Jerusalem on Tuesday, reported Variety.
When asked whether Claire was paid the same as Matt, the producers said that Matt was paid more due to his Doctor Who fame.
Of course, the producers plan to rectify the pay gap in the upcoming season. ‘Going forward, no one gets paid more than the Queen,’ said Suzanne.
However, Claire will not be reprising her role as Queen Elizabeth II in the third season. Actress, Olivia Coleman is stepping in to play the older Monarch as the show moves into the 1970’s.
In fact, the third season of the show is recasting almost the entire lineup of actors. Helena Bonham-Carter has been selected to replace, Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret, but producers are yet to announce who will step in for Matt as Prince Phillip.
‘I think we were the first television series ever to change cast and continue, and we will change cast twice,’ Andy revealed.
‘It’s daunting but exciting and I hope it’ll keep the series fresh and really of interest to people.’
The third season of The Crown is set to begin filming in July and it will move into the Camilla Parker Bowles years and introduce a young Princess Diana.
‘Those are going to be extraordinary, those episodes,’ said Suzanne.
But they will also come with some challenges. ‘As you get nearer to the present day, there are a lot more people who are alive and well,’ said Andy.
What’s more, we may also get to see some very famous faces making appearances in the show. ‘I want to see an episode where Trump comes to Buckingham Palace,’ said Suzanne.
And as for Meghan Markle, ‘She can play herself,’ Suzanne joked.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
