The Crown vows to change its pay structure after admitting Claire Foy earned less than Matt Smith

Variety

Smith came into The Crown as a former Doctor Who, which producer Suzanne Mackie said is why he earned more than co-star Foy, despite her playing the lead role of The Queen. Still, producers plan to make sure that doesn't happen for the next group of actors playing the Royals. “Going forward, no one gets paid more than the Queen," said Mackie at the INTV conference in Jerusalem. As TV Line's Dave Nemitz points out -- calling the revelation "embarrassing" -- Foy was hardly an unknown in joining the Netflix series. She starred in the NBC drama Crossbones and played Anne Boleyn on PBS' acclaimed Henry VIII miniseries Wolf Hall. Alan Sepinwall, meanwhile, wonders if this is why producers seem to be more interested in Prince Philip than Queen Elizabeth II. "Sure, he's more famous than she is," Sepinwall says of Matt Smith. "But if you find yourself in a situation where you have to pay him more than her, find another actor. This looks bad and is bad. And speaks to the weird myopia of a show whose creator is bored by its main character."