The Crown actress Claire Foy has not received any back pay by the series producers as reported by The Daily Mail in April, the actress revealed in an interview to Al Arabiya on July 26.
“That was what was reported that I was back-paid,” Foy clarified about The Daily Mail report. “I’ve never mentioned anything about it and neither have the producers. The fact that that is ‘fact’ is—not quite correct.”
The Crown, created by British screenwriter and playwright Peter Morgan, follows the elevation of Elizabeth II as the queen of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. Foy played the British royal in the first two seasons, and her performance was widely acclaimed. In March, Suzanne Mackie, one of The Crown’s producers, admitted that Foy had been paid less than her co-actor Matt Smith. who played Prince Philip.
The Daily Mail had claimed that Foy was paid an additional £200,000 for her work in the first two seasons of the globally popular Netflix series.
Mackie’s revelation lead to immense criticism over the pay gap, especially since the series revolved around Foy’s character. Mackie’s company, Left Bank Pictures, published an apology to the show’s stars, saying, “We want to apologise to both Claire Foy and to Matt Smith, brilliant actors and friends, who have found themselves at the centre of a media storm this week through no fault of their own.”
The third season of The Crown will be streamed in 2019. Olivia Coleman will be replacing Foy as Queen Elizabeth II.