Critically acclaimed actress Claire Foy, who portrays Queen Elizabeth II, was paid significantly less than her male co-star Matt Smith, according to executives from the production company “Left Bank Pictures”
Smith, best known for playing the Doctor in “Doctor Who,” was reportedly paid significantly more than Foy because of his previous fame. While this is to be expected, it does not explain the continued disparity after the immense success of the first season. Foy was nominated for an Emmy and won a Screen Actors Guild award and a Golden Globe.
Foy did not reap the benefits of Netflix’s $7 million budget per episode, and was paid a meager $40,000 per episode. According to Forbes,some of the dresses she wore in the role cost more than her $40,000 paychecks.
Undervaluing women in Hollywood is old news. For years, reports of extreme wage gaps have come to light. In 2015, “American Hustle” made headlines when reports that Bradley Cooper and other male actors were paid significantly more than Oscar-nominated actresses Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams.
More recently, Mark Wahlberg made headlines when his co-star Michelle Williams made less than 1 percent of what Wahlberg made for filming reshoots of “All the Money in the World.”
Walhberg donated his $1.5 million earnings to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund.
Even more infuriatingly, women of color make even less than white women. Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer made news earlier this year when Chastain spoke out about getting paid more than her Spencer, her co-star in “The Help.”
“Women of color on that spectrum, we make far less than white women,” Chastain said at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s “Women Breaking Barriers” panel. “So, if we’re gonna have that conversation about pay equity, we gotta bring the women of color to the table.”
After being so vocal about the injustices, Chastain helped Spencer make five times more than originally contracted by vocalizing the inequalities and remaining “tied together” with Spencer.
It is 2018, and we are still hearing about underpaid women who are killing their lead roles. Transparency in Hollywood is the only way to ensure fair and equal pay for women.
Outside of the film industry, the pay gap divides professional men and women. White women make an average of 80 cents per dollar that a male counterpart would make. For minorities, that number drops.
Black women make 63 cents on the dollar, while Latina and Hispanic women make 54. For many women, this pay gap is what keeps them from being able to afford basic necessities for their families.
If you feel that you are underpaid for a job because of your sex, speak up. In many companies, human resource departments are there to help you. Legislation exists to protect women in the workforce. The Equal Pay Act, which was meant to minimize the wage gap, was written more than 50 years ago. While it does need to be updated and strengthened, it is a good place to start. The federal government needs to take this disparity more seriously and step in to help fix the issues.
In Claire Foy’s case, there is a chance that legal action could help her. Because her time on the show is over, Netflix no longer is writing her any checks. But, depending on when her contract is officially up, she may have time to file a lawsuit and make back some of the money she deserves.
“Going forward, no one gets paid more than the Queen,” said Suzanne Mackie, executive producer of “The Crown.”
Sarah Grobety is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from Atlanta, Georgia.
