Vanessa Kirby thinks the pay gap between Claire Foy and Matt Smith made "no sense".
The former ‘Crown’ actress thinks it is "really important" that the inequality between her co-stars – who played Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in the Netflix drama series – was made public because it will give others in a similar situation "a voice" of their own.
She told Britain’s Marie Claire magazine: "I think it’s really important, because if we discuss it at our level, then hopefully it will give people a voice, and not be at a disadvantage just because they are a different gender; it makes absolutely no sense."
The 30-year-old actress and her team are no longer afraid to ask for what they feel she is worth, whereas they were previously hesitant because they didn’t want her to get a reputation for being "difficult".
Asked if she’s better at asking for what she deserves, she said: "Definitely, and my agents feel like that too.
"Literally on a day-to-day basis they feel better able to ask for something we wouldn’t have done [before] because we wouldn’t have wanted to seem difficult."
Meanwhile, 34-year-old Claire – who is set to receive £200,000 in back pay to equal Matt’s salary – previously revealed how the gender pay gap "opened her eyes" and says the ordeal has stopped her from being "naive" about her pay.
She shared: "It definitely opened my eyes to a lot. And I certainly won’t be naïve about those things. It’s really opened my eyes about what I am allowed to have an opinion about, and what I’m allowed to stand up for myself about.
"And I think that’s really changed my approach to myself and other women in this industry. It’s been only a positive thing – even though, embarrassing."
Matt, 35, recently broke his silence on the issue to condemn the pay gap.
He said: "Claire is one of my best friends, and I believe that we should be paid equally and fairly and there should be equality for all. I support her completely, and I’m pleased that it was resolved and they made amends for it, because that what’s needed to happen. Going forward, I think we should all bear in mind that we need to strive to make this better and a more even playing field for everyone involved – but not just in our industry, in all industries."
When it was revealed the stars were receiving different pay, producers claimed that the differing salaries were because Claire was an unknown actress when she accepted the lead role, whereas Matt had achieved global success for starring as the titular character in the long running sci-fi hit ‘Doctor Who’.
Vanessa Kirby talks Crown pay gap
