Actress Claire Foy, arguably best known for her role as a young Queen Elizabeth II on Netflix’s hit drama series The Crown, recently spoke to The Guardian regarding her illustrious career. During the interview, The Crown came up as a topic of conversation which led Foy to reveal a shocking admission.

Despite Foy being the star of the show, the actress admitted that her The Crown co-star Matt Smith, who played Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, Prince Philip, was paid a higher salary than her by the series production company Left Bank Pictures. Foy told The Guardian that when she first discovered the stark difference between the actor’s salary, she “…Wasn’t shocked. I was very upset. Not like, boohoo, crying upset. I was very upset. I don’t think I allowed myself to express anger.” Foy also added that at the time, many people around her tried to persuade her to react to the blatant discrimination. However, Foy admitted that she refused to lose her cool over the matter, adding that she “didn’t want my experience of the show and what we all did on it to be overshadowed.”

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

Claire Foy and Matt Smith played the iconic British royal couple, Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Philip, on Netflix’s The Crown for two seasons from 2016 to 2017, with Foy having a brief appearance in 2020 and again in 2022. As the series progressed, their respective roles were played by many other actresses and actors. Just recently, in the fifth season, which aired in 2022, Queen Elizabeth was played by actress Imelda Staunton, and actor Jonathan Price played Prince Philip.

If you don’t know, The Crown is loosely based on the life of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that defined her reign. The series was created and written primarily by Peter Morgan for Netflix. Season 6 of the show is currently in development and is expected to air sometime in 2023.

Claire Foy Gets Candid on Struggle with Mental Health in Early Years

     BBC

Besides not receiving the salary she should have had as the star of The Crown, Claire Foy is opening up again on an even more personal matter.

The usually guarded actress revealed that in her early 20s, she began experiencing mental health issues. At the time, Foy was an up-and-coming star who had just relocated to London to increase her visibility as an actress. Foy told The Guardian that she did not have a positive mindset about herself or her career at the time, even though she was already gaining lots of attention from audiences and critical acclaim from critics. Foy went on to mention that she had a mental breakdown which led her to seek a therapist to deal with low self-confidence.

Foy described the ordeal: “I wasn’t sleeping or eating a lot. When I was at the National, I wasn’t enjoying my life. All the fundamental things I thought about myself weren’t very positive, and [success] was at odds with what I believed about myself.” Foy added that her sister helped her get through one of the most challenging moments in her life.

Most recently, Claire Foy starred in the critically acclaimed 2022 drama film Women Talking, co-starring Rooney Mara. The film has received multiple nominations this season, including for Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay at the upcoming 2023 Academy Awards.