“The Crown” is returning with its third season, just in time as American audiences finally recognize Olivia Colman’s brilliance, and only slightly late for Claire Foy to earn her fair share. For those of you not well-versed on the controversy that surrounded “The Crown,” here’s how it went down: Claire Foy was showered with praise and awards for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth. Matt Smith was also on the show. At a panel discussion last year, producers revealed that Smith earned more than Foy. Prince Philip. Was paid more money. Than the queen. Who is the star. Of the show.
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The excuse for this insult was that Matt Smith was more widely known at the time of the casting for his role in “Doctor Who.” But, Foy was the clear lead of the show, and to make matters worse, the show is one of the most expensive in television history with an astronomical budget of about $7 million per episode.
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One would think that a show about women in power and the obstacles they face would be attuned to, you know, real-life disadvantages and impediments that women must deal with, like doing more work and earning less money. A somewhat ironic, though not unsurprising, and entirely frustrating twist.
The show has since remedied the situation, but Claire Foy will not reap the benefits of this solution as the Queen has aged and will now be played by Olivia Colman. Isn’t womanhood grand! Left Bank Pictures, the production company behind The Crown, owned up to the BS and vowed to remedy the situation by doing away with any pay gap going forward. So for those of you who think a simple statement with no back pay does the trick, all is well.
Here are the deets on the upcoming season: Season 2 ended with the birth of the Queen’s fourth and final child, Prince Edward, and Season 3 picks up right where we left off. Since spoilers are literally not possible as this is a recreation of actual history, this season “will be the Wilson era,” which apparently refers to Harold Wilson, the prime minister from 1964 to 1970 and 1974 to 1976. The season will also contain the breakup of the marriage between Margaret and Snowdon, and will also feature the first appearance of Princess Diana.
As for the cast, Tobias Menzies will take over the role as Prince Philip, who you may recognize as Edmure Tully from “Game of Thrones.” As stated above, Olivia Colman, fresh off her turn as Queen Anne in “The Favourite,” will play Queen Elizabeth. Emerald Fennell, from “Call the Midwife,” will play Camilla, with Erin Doherty as Princess Anne, Josh O’Connor as Prince Charles, Marion Bailey as the Queen Mother, Ben Daniels as Antony Armstrong-Jones, commonly known as Lord Snowdon, Jason Watkins as Harold Wilson and Helena Bonham Carter is replacing Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret. And holy shit, Gillian Anderson will play Margaret Thatcher, marking the first time many of us will find the Iron Lady really hot.
