The Crown may be the most critically-beloved show on all of Netflix.
But the drama is being roasted left and right at the moment for a reason that has nothing to do with what you see on screen…
And everything to do with something that happened off screen.
During a panel discussion about the series at the INTV Conference in Jerusalem on Tuesday, producers acknowledged a discrepancy between the salaries of its two stars, Claire Foy and Matt Smith.
The former portrayed Queen Elizabeth, while the latter takes on the role of her husband, Prince Philip.
Asked directly whether Foy was paid the same as Smith, producer Suzanne Mackie surprised those in attendance by answering in the negative.
No salary figures were discussed, but Mackie admitted Smith earned more for his two seasons of work than Foy.
“Going forward,” she then noted. “No one gets paid more than the Queen.”
This change, however, will not benefit Foy, earned earned an Emmy Award for her work on Season 1.
Due to a time jump for Season 3, Olivia Colman will step in as the Queen.
(Helena Bonham-Carter will play Princess Margaret and Netflix has not yet confirmed which actor will portray Prince Philip.)
In light of the ongoing #MeToo movement and the important conversation surrounding how women are treated in Hollywood, this salary difference has become a source of disgust and debate on social media.
Yes, Smith was a better known star when the series started shooting, having established himself for multiple seasons as the titular character on Dr. Who.
But Foy played THE QUEEN HERSELF on a show about… THE QUEEN.
Moreover, Foy simply appeared on screen a significant amount of time more than Smith over the show’s first two seasons.
Earlier this year, it was disclosed that Michelle Williams was paid a fraction of what her All The Money In The World co-star Mark Wahlberg earned for reshooting sections of the film.
As in: Williams was paid $ 80 per day and Wahlberg was paid $ 1.5 million total.
Once word of this discrepancy leaked out, Wahlberg agreed to donate that entire sum to charity.
The third season of The Crown, which begins filming in July, will move into the Camilla Parker Bowles years; it will also introduce a young Princess Diana.
“Those are going to be extraordinary, those episodes,” said Mackie.
But will fans keep tuning in, now that viewer favorite Foy is no longer a part of the cast?
And will this scandal have any long-term affect on the success of the series?
Mackie didn’t address these concerns or questions, instead joking around a bit when considering where else The Crown may go.
Like into very modern times, perhaps?
“I want to see an episode where [Donald Trump] comes to Buckingham Palace,” the producer said.
As for Meghan Markle?
“She can play herself.”
We’d be down with that. But Markle better get paid more than Trump for her appearance!