‘Crown’ queen talks about royal pay gap
“The Crown” star Claire Foy isn’t surprised fans of the Netflix show spoke out in droves after learning she made less money than her male co-star — but that doesn’t mean the backlash wasn’t a royal pain for the actress.
“I’m surprised because I’m at the center of it, and anything that I’m at the center of like that is very, very odd, and feels very, very out of the ordinary,” Foy told Entertainment Weekly.
“But I’m not (surprised about the interest in the story) in the sense that it was a female-led drama. I’m not surprised that people saw (the story) and went, ‘Oh, that’s a bit odd.’ ”
Foy, who plays Queen Elizabeth II, and co-star Matt Smith, who plays Prince Philip, were thrust into an unwanted spotlight earlier this month after the period drama’s production company revealed Smith earned more money than Foy, as he was a bigger international draw thanks to his days as ”Dr. Who.“
Still, the actress says she and Smith have no bad blood over the pay gap — and that the drama hasn’t soured her plans to tune in once her role is recast with “Broadchurch’s” Olivia Colman for Season 3.
“I know Matt feels the same that I do, that it’s odd to find yourself at the center (of a story) that you didn’t particularly ask for,” she said. “I’ll be asking to see (Season 3) earlier than it’s available. I can’t wait to see it.”