Claire Foy claims reports that she was offered back pay for her Emmy-nominated role in The Crown are false.
Foy denied reports from The Daily Mail that alleged producers agreed to pay the actress $275,000 amid scandal following revelations that Matt Smith had been paid significantly more to play Prince Phillip than Foy had been to star as Queen Elizabeth II over the past two seasons.
Like the queen she brought to life, Foy does not mince words when it comes to business. Foy discussed the backpay with a reporter for Al Arabiya, saying, “I’ve never mentioned anything about it and neither have the producers. The fact that that is ‘fact’ is — not quite correct.” Foy also commented on the learning curve of getting swept up in a national scandal, saying, “I realized early on that me being quiet about it or me not thinking about it in any way, and not associating myself with it, would be harmful to me and also lots of other people. It’s taught me a lot, and I’m still learning about it.”
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The scandal started when one of The Crown’s producers revealed that Smith was paid more than Foy because of his international fame from his role in Doctor Who. Producers from the show committed to pay equality in future episodes, with producer Suzanne Mackie cheekily declaring from now on, “No one gets paid more than the Queen.”
That won’t help Foy, though, since the show is moving forward with a brand new cast in season 3 to portray the characters at different points in their lives.
The Crown is expected to return to Netflix for its third season in 2019.