Claire Foy was 'deeply hurt' by gender pay gap

London : Actress Claire Foy says she felt compelled to speak out about the pay gap between herself and "The Crown" co-actor Matt Smith to open doors for others fighting for fair play.

Foy became a figurehead of sorts for those fighting for gender equality when she spoke out about the fact she was paid much less than Smith - even though she was The Queen to his Prince Philip on the drama. The revelation forced the show's bosses to publicly apologise to both stars for inadvertently putting them in a very awkward position.

Now, in a magazine, Foy has said the whole drama was very upsetting and she had moments when she wished she didn't have to be the one making waves, reports aceshowbiz.com.

She said: "I was deeply hurt by it, because I'd been working on that show for two years. I loved everybody on it. And then I realised, 'There's been a big, fat, dirty secret that nobody's ever talked about'.

"But then there was also that thing (of being) an inadvertent spokesperson. Why did it have to be me? I could have said nothing. And I think everyone would have preferred that. But I thought, 'If I do that, I will be cheating myself and all the other women I know.'"

Foy recently dismissed reports suggesting she had been offered $225,000 in back pay to settle the gender pay gap on "The Crown".