Matt Smith Told Tobias Menzies to 'Make Sure' Salaries Are 'Even' While Starring on The Crown

Matt Smith has a few pieces of advice for Tobias Menzies as he steps into the role of Prince Philip on Netflix’s The Crown.

Smith, who portrayed Philip on the first two seasons of the acclaimed series, shared some of the helpful hints he gave to his successor in an interview on The Late Late Show with James Corden on Thursday.

After joking that his number one pearl of wisdom had been to tell the Game of Thrones actor “don’t do it,” Smith went on to share that in all seriousness “I told him a good book to read by Philip Eade called Young Prince Philip.

“But you know how it’s like, you can’t really offer up too much,” he added, before sharing one last piece of friendly advice.

“I just said, ‘God, make sure they pay you enough — and make sure it’s even,” he said, referencing the controversy that arose after it was revealed that Smith was paid more than Claire Foy, the Netflix hit’s leading lady.

Earlier this year, producers Suzanne Mackie and Andy Harries revealed at a panel at the INTV Conference in Jerusalem that Smith, 35, received a bigger paycheck due to his higher profile coming off Doctor Who.

However, Mackie added that “Going forward, no one gets paid more than the queen.”

The U.K. production company behind the Netflix drama also issued an apology for putting the stars in the middle of a pay equity debate.

In response to the news, Smith shared that he completely supported Foy, 34.

“Claire is one of my best friends, and I believe that we should be paid equally and fairly and there should be equality for all,” Smith told The Hollywood Reporter. “Going forward, I think we should all bear in mind that we need to strive to make this better and a more even playing field for everyone involved — but not just in our industry, in all industries.”

RELATED VIDEO: Claire Foy Responds to The Crown Pay Controversy

Earlier this month, Foy went on to shut down reports that she had received $275,000 in back-pay for her role as Queen Elizabeth II.

“That was what was reported, that I was back-paid,” the Golden Globe-winning actress told Dubai-based news channel Al Arabiya. “I’ve never mentioned anything about it and neither have the producers. The fact that that is ‘fact’ is not quite correct.”

“It happened at the same time as it was coming out with a lot of other people that there was a lot of pay inequality across the board – in the music industry, in journalism, in every industry,” Foy said. “It’s across the board that it became part of a bigger conversation, which is an odd place to find yourself in.”

During the next season of the Netflix season, Broadchurch actress Olivia Colman will be stepping into the role of Queen Elizabeth alongside Menzies.

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