Over a month after the news broke that Matt Smith received a bigger paycheck than Claire Foy for their individual work on the Netflix historical drama series The Crown, the former Doctor Who actor finally addressed the topic. The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Smith over the weekend at the Tribeca Film Festival during the world premiere of Mapplethorpe, a biopic about the controversial photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, in which the British actor stars in the titular role.
“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,” Smith commented. “I support her completely, and I’m pleased that it was resolved and they made amends for it because that’s what needed to happen. 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.”
At this time, there are no details about how the matter was “resolved” or how Netflix or Left Bank Pictures “made amends.” When the story went public in March, a petition circulated that called on Smith to donate the difference in salary to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund. However, no information has been provided to ascertain what, if anything, happened to remedy the pay gap.
Claire Foy and Smith starred in the first two seasons of The Crown, in which they portrayed Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, respectively. Unlike Smith, Foy’s performance earned high critical praise along with several award nominations. In the coming seasons of the Netflix series, the roles of the Queen and Prince Philip will be played Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies as the story jumps ahead in time.
In March, when the news of the pay gap broke, Left Bank Productions issued a statement saying, “We want to apologize to both Claire Foy and to Matt Smith, brilliant actors and friends, who have found themselves at the center of a media storm this week through no fault of their own. As the producers of The Crown, we at Left Bank Pictures are responsible for budgets and salaries; the actors are not aware of who gets what and cannot be held personally responsible for the pay of their colleagues.”
Technically, Netflix as not ordered a third season of The Crown, though production is already underway. While the decision to bring the binge-worthy series back to Netflix has not been finalized, the assumption is that season three of The Crown will premiere on the streaming service sometime next year.
More in News
-
Demi Lovato Remains in the Hospital After Overdosing Last Week
Demi Lovato is still in the hospital following an overdose that took place last week. The star is still expected to...
July 31, 2018 -
Madonna Launches a Malawi Fundraiser to Celebrate 60th Birthday
Madonna is launching a fundraiser for Malawi in celebration of her 60th birthday. The fundraiser will be held online in partnership...
July 31, 2018 -
Kesha Documentary Heading to Apple Music
A Kesha documentary will soon be released on Apple music. The project is entitled Rainbow – The Film, and will provide...
July 30, 2018 -
Justin Bieber Hints that a Wedding is Just Around the Corner
Justin Bieber has hinted that his wedding to Hailey Baldwin is just around the corner. A paparazzi recently asked the singer...
July 30, 2018 -
The ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Cast Stands Up for Their Embattled Director
It’s been more than a week since news broke that Disney had axed James Gunn for a series of tweets he...
July 30, 2018 -
Netflix Announces Four More Original TV Shows
Netflix has announced that they will be adding four more original TV shows. One of the new shows is called Madam...
July 30, 2018