Guess what? Even playing the Queen doesn’t guarantee royal treatment. The Crown’s Claire Foy got paid less than her on-screen husband Matt Smith. The reason: Smith had Doctor Who fame, and apparently, that carried more financial weight than portraying Britain’s most powerful woman. The pay gap went public, outrage followed, and Netflix scrambled to clean up the mess.
After the backlash, Foy reportedly received about £200K ($274K) in backpay—a late but necessary fix, The Guardian reported. Producers insisted the issue wouldn’t repeat and promised that “no one gets paid more than the Queen” in future seasons. But by then, Foy had already wrapped up her reign as The Crown prepared to move into the 1970s with a new cast.
The irony? This wasn’t some low-budget indie project but one of Netflix’s biggest investments, pouring £94M ($130M) into its first season alone. Yet, even with that kinda cash, the leading lady earned less than her co-star. The drama didn’t stop with The Crown. The gender pay gap was making headlines everywhere. In 2017, Forbes revealed that Emma Stone was the highest-paid actress at £19M ($26M), but Mark Wahlberg topped the male list with £49M ($68M).
The imbalance kept showing up, even in reshoots. Wahlberg pocketed £1 million ($1.5 million) for All the Money in the World reshoots, while Michelle Williams? She got £725 ($1K). The outrage was so loud that Wahlberg donated his salary to Time’s Up. Claire Foy’s payout for The Crown was a small win, but the bigger battle raged on. Netflix vowed to “do better.” Hollywood had heard that before. The question was: would anything really change?
For more such stories, check out TV updates!
Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | Google News