Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ R&B singer SZA didn’t let a torn ligament in her foot slow her down at a concert for her feverish fans in New York City. She walked into the venue Friday with a crutch helping her to the chair placed in the middle of the stage. She injured her foot while performing earlier this month at the BUKU Music + Art Project festival in New Orleans. Though injured, she performed in style, wearing fuzzy, platform, pink slippers though her right foot had a brace on it. After singing her first song, the Grammy-nominated singer told the audience: “I don’t really have a plan, but we’re gonna, like, wing this.” Her performance at Samsung 837 was in celebration of the company’s new Galaxy S9 phone, released Friday. ■ A producer of hit royal drama The Crown says Claire Foy, who played the central role of Queen Elizabeth II, was paid less than her on-screen husband. The Netflix series traces Elizabeth’s journey from princess to queen, beginning in the 1950s. Trade publication Variety quoted producer Suzanne Mackie as confirming Foy was paid less than Matt Smith, who played Prince Philip in two seasons of the series. She made the reported comment at an industry event in Jerusalem. She said this was because Smith was better-known after starring in sci-fi series Doctor Who. Mackie said the gap would be closed with the forthcoming third series, saying “going forward, no one gets paid more than the queen.” Neither Foy nor Smith will appear in the third series, which will star Olivia Colman as the middle-aged monarch. The gender pay gap has become a contentious issue in Hollywood after revelations that many female stars were paid less than their male counterparts. ■ A publicist for Matt Damon is batting down reports that the actor is moving to Australia with his family and that such a move would have been inspired by anger over President Donald Trump. The Daily Telegraph newspaper in Sydney had reported that Damon was buying a home in Byron Bay near actor Chris Hemsworth. The two recently appeared in Thor: Ragnarok together. Damon spokesman Jennifer Allen said Damon has been to Australia a lot recently. But Damon has not bought a home there nor is he relocating there, she said. The New York Post’s Page Six gossip site, citing an unnamed source, said the Good Will Hunting and Jason Bourne star told friends and colleagues that he wanted to leave the country because he disagrees with Trump’s policies. When asked about Damon’s rumored motivation, Allen wrote in an email, “He’s not moving out of the U.S.”