Matt Smith Breaks Silence On The Crown’s Pay Disparity & Speaks Out In Support Of Claire Foy!
April 23, 2018The Prince has spoken!
Matt Smith has finally broken his silence on The Crown's pay disparity drama weeks after producers let it slip that he was making more than his costar Claire Foy, who plays the lead role of Queen Elizabeth II on the Netflix period drama.
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Smith, who plays Prince Philip in season one and two of the acclaimed series, spoke out in support of Foy and was pleased to acknowledge that the controversy had since been "resolved."
He told The Hollywood Reporter at the premiere of his upcoming film Mapplethorpe:
"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."
Uhhh was it resolved, though??
As we reported, producers revealed in March that Smith made more than Foy because of his Doctor Who fame, then later told Variety:
"Going forward, no one gets paid more than the Queen."
Netflix has yet to put out a statement on the issue, so we're not quite sure what "amends" Smith is speaking of here — but we have a feeling it wasn't a donation in the difference of their paychecks to the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund, which fans encouraged the actor to make via petition after the pay gap came to light.
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Missed donation opportunity aside, Smith made it clear he supported not only an equal pay grid for The Crown, but for men and women in industries across the board, adding:
"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."
Smith and Foy will end their turns on The Crown on an uneven playing field, as they will be replaced in seasons three and four by Tobias Menzies and Olivia Colman.
[Image via Lia Toby/WENN.]