Many will agree that Netflix's The Crown was elevated beyond its lavish setting, story and multi-million budget thanks to the striking performance by lead actress Claire Foy.
She so often says so little but every emotion is in her eyes, as she plays a restrained Queen Elizabeth II, suddenly thrust into the forefront of public life in the royal family. It's a performance that won her accolades across the globe, so many fans were so disappointed to find out that she wasn't paid on par with her co-star Matt Smith (who plays her husband, Prince Phillip), despite having the lead role.
Netflix revealed that Foy was paid less than the actor due to his previous role on the BBC’s Doctor Who. Foy was reportedly paid $40,000 per episode for the first two series, whereas Smith's isn't known).
The news was revealed by show producers Suzanne Mackie and Andy Harries at the INTV Conference in Jerusalem recently.
The series' producers, Left Bank Pictures, have since stated that going forward no one will be paid more than the Queen, who will be played by Olivia Colman in the upcoming third season, before apologising to Foy for the 'media storm' that ensued.
Foy has now commented on the situation, saying that, while she wasn't surprised that the news caught everyone's attention, she said she disliked being at the centre of it.
“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 ordinary,” Foy told EW.
“But I’m not [surprised about the interest in the story] in the sense that it was a female-led drama,” she continued. “I’m not surprised that people saw [the story] and went, ‘Oh, that’s a bit odd.’ But I know that 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.”
The actress remains humble and eloquent about it all (even refusing to acknowledge that she was even paid less in the first place), saying she is particularly excited about the third season.
Foy added that she “can’t wait to see” the next season of The Crown. “I’ll be asking to see it earlier than it’s available,” she said. “I think Olivia Colman’s amazing.”
