Claire Foy Reacts to 'The Crown' Pay Gap Controversy

Claire Foy found herself at the center of a wage gap controversy where she was publicly outed as making less money as her co-star Matt Smith on Netflix’s The Crown, despite her having the starring role.

“I’m surprised because I’m at the center of it, and anything that I’m at the center of like that is very very odd, and feels very very out of ordinary,” Claire told Entertainment Weekly. “But I’m not [surprised about the interest in the story] in the sense that it was a female-led drama. I’m not surprised that people saw [the story] and went, ‘Oh, that’s a bit odd.’ But I know that Matt feels the same that I do, that it’s odd to find yourself at the center [of a story] that you didn’t particularly ask for.”

Producers have since apologized to Matt and Claire for being thrust into the spotlight over their salaries.