Yahoo News Matt Smith has advice for The Crown's new Prince Philip
Matt Smith has acted on some of TV's biggest ever series, so he knows what he's talking about.
Appearing on The Late Late Show this week, the former star of Netflix's The Crown told Tobias Menzies - set to take on the role of Prince Philip next season - to make sure the pay is "even".
Speaking to James Corden, Smith revealed the advice he'd given Menzies as he prepared to step into the role.
"Don't do it!" he joked. "I said a few things to him [...] God, make sure they pay you enough … and make sure it's even."
Smith was referring to the controversy surrounding the cast's pay that broke earlier this year.
Earlier this year, it was reported that, despite being the show's main character, Claire Foy was paid less for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II than Smith was for his turn as the Prince.
Production company Left Bank Pictures later accepted responsibility for the pay gap and apologised to both Foy and Smith, vowing that from now on "no one will be paid more than the queen".
Commenting on the news, Foy said that she was "not surprised" that people saw the story and made it into a big story. "But I know that Matt feels the same that I do, that it's odd to find yourself at the centre [of a story] that you didn't particularly ask for," she added.
Smith received an Emmy nomination for his performance as Prince Philip in The Crown, and the actor also revealed to Corden where he was when he received the news.
"I was in Russia," he said. "I'd just seen England sadly get beat by Croatia [at the World Cup]."
He continued: "The next morning I was having breakfast… I had a bit of a sore head. Then I got a call that softened the blow a bit."
When asked by Corden if he would swap his Emmy nod for an England World Cup final qualification, Smith replied simply: "Yeah!"
We accept, Matt. See you in Qatar on December 18, 2022!
The Crown season three arrives on Netflix in 2019. Seasons one and two are streaming now.
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