Prince Philip, he speaks! A month after The Crown got everyone in a tizzy with the revelation that Matt Smith was paid more than Claire Foy for their two seasons of work on the Netflix series — despite Foy getting top billing, and playing the titular “crown†— Smith has finally commented on the scandale royal. “I believe that we all should be paid equally and fairly,†Smith told reporters at the Tribeca Film Festival last night. “Claire is one of my best friends. I support her completely.†He also said how “pleased†he is that the series fixed the pay disparity with the third and fourth seasons, with Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies on board to take on the roles of Queen Elizabeth and Philip, respectively. “That’s what needed to happen,†Smith continued. “Going forward, I think we should all bear in mind, and we need to strive to make this a better and more even playing field for everyone involved. But not just in our industry — in all industries.â€
Foy herself has weighed in on what it was like to be at the center of such a polarizing news story, but hasn’t addressed the intricacies of gender disparity in Hollywood. “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,†she previously told EW. “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.â€
As a result of the pay-gap revelation, The Crown’s producers have confirmed that Colman will be getting the highest salary as Her Majesty for seasons three and four. The reasoning? Well, Suzanne Mackie, one of the producers, perhaps puts it best: “Going forward, no one gets paid more than the queen.â€