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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!
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This petition began after it was revealed that co-star of ‘The Crown’ Matt Smith was paid more for his role than lead actress Claire Foy
Image credits: Robert Viglasky/AP
This guy, however, disagreed with the petition and decided to explain his opinion
Many people seemed to agree with this perspective
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!
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What do you think ?
Cactuar Jon 6 years ago
I have to agree. When there are both men and women doing the exact same job, but there is a difference in pay - THAT is where the problem is. The issue above is similar to if someone who's got 10+ years experience in their field with evidence of high performance and another who has 4yrs experience in the same field with very little evidence of high performance. The latter is obviously going to get paid less. Gender here doesn't even come into it. People need to stop being so ready to jump on every tiny little thing and turning it into a problem!
Jeremy Rankin 6 years ago
You pay your dues like any industry. He’s a marquis actor and she is not (yet). I’m sure Winston Churchill and her father in season 1 didn’t make nearly what Matt Smith made.
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Alextrónica 6 years ago
Let's thing on oposite version. I want to make mate a show starring Jennifer Lawrence and some John Doe. Of course, I am going to pay more money to Lawrence than to the other guy.
Oscar Goytia 6 years ago
That's what happened in passengers... Jennifer Lawrence was paid a lot more than Chris Pratt... he became world famous thanks to Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World Bad luck for him... but at the moment she was a bigger star
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Cactuar Jon 6 years ago
I have to agree. When there are both men and women doing the exact same job, but there is a difference in pay - THAT is where the problem is. The issue above is similar to if someone who's got 10+ years experience in their field with evidence of high performance and another who has 4yrs experience in the same field with very little evidence of high performance. The latter is obviously going to get paid less. Gender here doesn't even come into it. People need to stop being so ready to jump on every tiny little thing and turning it into a problem!
Jeremy Rankin 6 years ago
You pay your dues like any industry. He’s a marquis actor and she is not (yet). I’m sure Winston Churchill and her father in season 1 didn’t make nearly what Matt Smith made.
Load More Replies... Alextrónica 6 years ago
Let's thing on oposite version. I want to make mate a show starring Jennifer Lawrence and some John Doe. Of course, I am going to pay more money to Lawrence than to the other guy.
Oscar Goytia 6 years ago
That's what happened in passengers... Jennifer Lawrence was paid a lot more than Chris Pratt... he became world famous thanks to Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World Bad luck for him... but at the moment she was a bigger star
Load More Replies... Related on Bored Panda
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