CBS All Access programming executive Julie McNamara responded to Julianna Margulies’ comments about the pay dispute that derailed a potential guest appearance on “The Good Fight,” pinning it to a “different expectation” of what her role would be.
“We did want her to guest on ‘The Good Fight,’” the executive said at the Television Critics Association press tour on Thursday. “There was a different expectation about what that meant, and it didn’t work out.”
McNamara’s comments came in response to an interview in which the “Good Wife” star said she opted out of appearing on the Christine Baranski-led spinoff because she was refused her same rate from the flagship show.
“I wasn’t asking for a million dollars. I wasn’t asking for $500,000 an episode. I was asking for what I got paid on ‘The Good Wife,’” the actress said. “I’m not a guest star. You don’t pay me a guest-star salary. I would get a guest-star salary if I went and did ‘SVU’ — it’s not my show. I wouldn’t ask for what I got paid as Alicia Florrick.”
McNamara declined to offer specifics, simply saying Margulies never appeared on the show because “the deal didn’t work out, and that was really the extent of it.”
She noted that there is still potential for Margulies to appear on the streaming service in another capacity.
“We have another project in development with her that we have a deal for her to star if that goes forward,” McNamara said. “We’d love to see her on the service.”