Guy Explains Why Equal Pay For Male And Female Actors Doesn't Make Sense

You may or may not be aware that there is, at this point, a petition with over 25,000 signatures on it calling for ‘The Crown’ actor Matt Smith to give up part of his salary, and donate it to the legal defense fund for the Time’s Up Movement.

This came after revelations by the show’s producers that Smith, renowned actor and former ‘Doctor Who’ star, earned more while working as a support actor on ‘The Crown’ than lead actress Claire Foy, who played the Queen.

With the gender pay gap being a hotly debated issue at present, the petition, which originated from the Care2 organization, has already an effect. “Going forward, no one gets paid more than the Queen,” producer Suzanne Mackie has said about the issue, while explaining that Smith was previously paid more due to his previous ‘Doctor Who’ fame.

It is right at this point that Imgur user YurgenGrimwood steps in with a simple and clear argument. According to this argument, Smith’s heftier paycheck doesn’t come down to sexism at all, but is rather just the realities of show business economics. He is more recognizable and therefore creates more value to the show than the highly talented, but previously unknown Claire Foy.

So while the gender pay gap is certainly a pertinent issue in the overall fight for gender equality, YurgenGrimwood believes that this particular petition may have missed the target. What do you think? Should lead actors always be paid more, regardless of previous fame? Should Matt Smith donate the difference in his salary to the Time’s Up movement? Let us know in the comments below!