Matt Smith shared some solid advice with the new Prince Philip on Netflix’s “The Crown,” Tobias Menzies. James Corden coaxed the counseling out of Smith on Wednesday night’s “Late Late Show.”
“Don’t do it,” Smith (seemingly) joked about what he told pal Menzies when asked.
“I just said, ‘God, make sure they pay you enough — and make sure it’s even,” a (semi) more serious Smith said, emphasizing the latter half of that statement for comedic effect.
Smith, a former Doctor on “Doctor Who,” found himself in the middle of an income inequality firestorm earlier this year when it came out he was paid more than female co-star Claire Foy, who played Queen Elizabeth II over the show’s first two seasons.
“We want to apologize to both Claire Foy and to Matt Smith, brilliant actors and friends, who have found themselves at the center of a media storm this week through no fault of their own,” production company Left Bank Pictures said in a statement. “Claire and Matt are incredibly gifted actors who, along with the wider cast on ‘The Crown’ have worked tirelessly to bring our characters to life with compassion and integrity.”
“As the producers of ‘The Crown,’ we at Left Bank Pictures are responsible for budgets and salaries; the actors are not aware of who gets what, and cannot be held personally responsible for the pay of their colleagues,” the company continued, with producers later vowing that “Going forward, no one gets paid more than the queen.”
Watch the video from Smith’s CBS appearance above.