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Original poster

To think Claire Foy was not put below a man in her salary for the Crown.

144 replies

alittlebitofc · 26/10/2021 21:12

Ok before I start this, let me know that I am aware men get paid more than women and it needs to stop. There needs to be equality however people are putting things out of context.

One that stuck out to me as not being 'unfair' was the Matt Smith and Claire Foy difference for the Crown in that he got paid more. Whilst I am a big fan of Foy thinking she is a brilliant actress I don't see why she'd be expected to get as much as him because he was a big name before The Crown and she wasn't.
It was Foy's 1st big role so why should she be paid the same as Matt Smith who had played 1 of the biggest roles on tv before it.? That's not how it works.

That is what the show said when it was disputed but I think they were right. It is, in the same way, I'd think that many of the men Meryl Streep or Kate Winslet have starred with over the years in films and had equal screen time yet were not as big as the actresses would not have got less and rightly so as Winslet and Streep are the bigger names.
I also think it is true when big actresses play a support role in a film against a lesser-known male who gets more screen time and this does happen-the actress gets more money and rightly so as she is a bigger name. At the end of the day, the bigger name-male or female can command more money and that's perfectly fair and how the industry works.

OP posts:
CallMeMabel · 26/10/2021 21:47

Matt Smith wasn't a big star...and still isn't. They should have been paid the same. She was much better in it than he was, and was also brilliant in Wolf Hall.

MamsellMarie · 26/10/2021 21:48

Surely if you play QE it is the starring role. Should be top dollar.

2021namechanger · 26/10/2021 21:50

People saying “I don’t watch Dr Who” are being a bit disingenuous. It’s screened around the world. Matt Smith would have been the pull for audiences globally not just in the UK.

Original poster
alittlebitofc · 26/10/2021 21:51

Surely if you play QE it is the starring role. Should be top dollar

the show could have flopped, you can't just pay lesser-known actors top dollar because it's a starring role. The cast of Friends got little in their early years. Pays will escalate over time depending on success.

OP posts:
CiaoForDiNiaoSaur · 26/10/2021 21:52

[quote alittlebitofc]*I disagree that she was unknown by the masses. Everyone I chatted to about The Crown at the time commented that they were excited/pleased that she was in because they liked her in

Original poster
alittlebitofc · 26/10/2021 21:53

People saying “I don’t watch Dr Who” are being a bit disingenuous

i'd say they are missing the point too.Just because they don't watch it doesn't undermine its massive international success and I have never watched it.

OP posts:
ejhhhhh · 26/10/2021 21:53

I’d seen Claire Foy in loads of things before the Crown, but I hadn’t seen Matt Smith in anything. Her role was most definitely the lead role, she should have been paid as much, if not more, than him.

Fired · 26/10/2021 21:54

YABVU

Claire Foy deserved to be paid at least the same as Smith. She was not some new and unknown actress. She was very well established and a name in her own right.

She has more awards and nominations than Smith as well.

Original poster
alittlebitofc · 26/10/2021 21:54

But other people have mentioned those and you don't seem to think they count so not sure what to say really

I have watched these though and still am aware that Doctor Who was still a much bigger hit by miles.

OP posts:
WrapAroundYourDreams · 26/10/2021 21:55

@2021namechanger

People saying “I don’t watch Dr Who” are being a bit disingenuous. It’s screened around the world. Matt Smith would have been the pull for audiences globally not just in the UK.
You think Matt Smith was the pull? I'd say the Queen was the pull for the show, but ok!
Original poster
alittlebitofc · 26/10/2021 21:55

She has more awards and nominations than Smith as well

it's a ratings game though.

OP posts:
TractorAndHeadphones · 26/10/2021 21:55

@2021namechanger

People saying “I don’t watch Dr Who” are being a bit disingenuous. It’s screened around the world. Matt Smith would have been the pull for audiences globally not just in the UK.
Dr Who is a classic. Like Harry Potter. Even if you ‘don’t watch Dr Who you know it exists and it has a huge following worldwide (as opposed to shows people just ‘watch’ like Little Dorrit or whatever it was).

There were ads in my country’s version of Netflix for the crown and Matt Smith’s name was used quite heavily.

Now if you said Jennifer Aniston for example yes I would agree but Claire Foy?

Original poster
alittlebitofc · 26/10/2021 21:57

You think Matt Smith was the pull? I'd say the Queen was the pull for the show, but ok

matt smith was a household name in the infancy of the show and that's always going to get attention from fans so yes he was a pull.

OP posts:
SJWsAtItAgain · 26/10/2021 21:59

I agree OP. But I know facts about this would get in the way for some posters, seeing as your thread is between a man and a woman.

I'm sure if it's between a white woman and a black woman, they'd know exactly what you mean. Or if both white women.

It's not about who you've seen/know more because that depends on your individual interest.

Different factors are considered when deciding a person's worth in the entertainment/media industry, and their history, filmography, awards, etc is the quickest way to do this. This is why some contracts can and should be renegotiated after a certain period of time to reflect new possible status/influence/ social worth, etc.

Pugsley87 · 26/10/2021 22:00

I'd have to say Claire Foy in the aforementioned plus Upstairs, Downstairs was much more of an attraction than Matt Smith for me and many others.

Original poster
alittlebitofc · 26/10/2021 22:00

How does that seem fair to you

because it is names that put bums on seats.

OP posts:
KateTheEighth · 26/10/2021 22:00

@Dbakl

?? I had seen Claire Foy in way more stuff than Matt Smith before the Crown.

Yep - I agree with this

CiaoForDiNiaoSaur · 26/10/2021 22:01

Dr who being a better known show doesn't mean Claire Foy was unknown though Confused

WrapAroundYourDreams · 26/10/2021 22:02

I think the fact the show was about a long reigning monarch, probably the most famous woman in the world, who is still on the throne today, is a far bigger pull than Matt Smith. The royal family were the pull of that show- and both Matt Smith and Claire Foy were recognised names. Matt Smith brought attention to it because of the popularity of Dr Who. Claire Foy brought gravitas because she is well liked and respected, and known for being incredibly talented- she's a serious actress. The show needed someone like her to be taken seriously and not written off as trashy entertainment from the beginning- it would be so wrong to get it wrong on a show about the royals.

MartyHart · 26/10/2021 22:02

How is the Crown only known about by "word of mouth?"
It's one of the most expensive tv shows ever made. It has been marketed.
The Queen is the main character, has the most lines and screen time. She was in every single episode until Olivia took over.
The rest of the cast are supporting actors.

cloudtree · 26/10/2021 22:02

Clare foy was in masses of stuff avdccsnnot even vaguely be described as an unknown. We are currently watching The Promise (from over a decade ago) because ds2 is doing the Israel conflict in gcse history. She is excellent in it.

Libelula21 · 26/10/2021 22:04

Another problem is that female actors are often prized by the industry for their youth. There’s an inherent contradiction in being remunerated more after building up a name for yourself (and the time taken to do this) and a premium for youthfulness in female actors.

For this reason I think Claire Foy should have been paid more.

I know I haven’t expressed this well, sorry.

ejhhhhh · 26/10/2021 22:07

@cloudtree I loved The Promise. Genuinely moving, though provoking stuff.

TractorAndHeadphones · 26/10/2021 22:07

@CiaoForDiNiaoSaur

Dr who being a better known show doesn't mean Claire Foy was unknown though Confused
There’s also different degrees of unknown though. And other projects the actors wee considering.

Many people may know Claire Foy but still a smaller number than those that know Matt Smith. Equally if Matt Smith was chosen based on the ‘household name’ criteria that is what his pay would reflect. As pp have mentioned there’s always opportunity to renegotiate contracts etc.

Does this mean every actor has to be paid the same - so the actor with the worse negotiating agent gets to benefit from the negotiation of the other?

If both were at the same level of ‘known’ it makes more sense

Arbitan · 26/10/2021 22:10

As noted above, an individual has the right to receive the same contractual pay and benefits than a person of the opposite sex in the same employment where the man and woman do like work, work rated as equivalent under an analytical job study, or work of equal value. Employers can justify difference in pay where there is a material factor that explains the difference in pay and conditions that is neither directly or indirectly discriminatory on the grounds of sex. That has been the case since 1970.

If you’re referring to the gender pay gap, that is far more complex and is not necessarily (or even usually) down to employers paying employees in breach of the equal pay legislation.