Petition urges 'The Crown' star Matt Smith to donate pay disparity money to Time's Up

A petition has urged The Crown star Matt Smith to donate the extra money he received for the show to the Time's Up movement after it was revealed that he was paid more than leading lady Claire Foy. The show attracted criticism from fans when producers revealed that Smith, who played Prince Philip for two seasons, negotiated a better deal than Foy thanks to his popularity from 'Doctor Who'.

Foy played Queen Elizabeth in the drama from showrunner Peter Morgan, Sony Pictures Television Studios and Left Bank and earned a Golden Globe, SAG Award and Emmy nomination, among other accolades, for the role. 

Now, Care2 petition is calling on the actor and Netflix CEO to "show that they stand with women and do the right thing" while asking the actor and streaming giant to donate the difference in Smith's pay to the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The producers have already promised that they will adopt pay parity in the season three, which will move forward without Foy and Smith as it deals with the later years of the queen's life. Broadchurch star Olivia Colman will take over for Foy as Queen Elizabeth while Helena Bonham Carter will play Princess Margaret. 

"Going forward, no one gets paid more than the Queen," Left Bank creative director and executive producer Suzanne Mackie said at the INTV Conference in Jerusalem. The petition has already managed about 22,000 signatures of its goal of 25,000.

A similar petition had asked Mark Wahlberg to donate the USD 1.5 million more that he made during reshoots for All the Money in the World after it was revealed that Michelle Williams was paid just USD 1,000 for the same work. The actor and his talent agency WME, which also represents Williams, later donated USD 2 million to the Time's Up Defence Fund.