Jodie Whittaker has insisted she “absolutely” knows she isn’t being paid less than her male Doctor Who predecessors.
The British actress is the first female to play the Time Lord, following on from actors including David Tennant, Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi.
BBC executives, who broadcast the show, were hit by an equal pay row last year when it was revealed many women were paid less than men for similar jobs, but Jodie has insisted that’s not the case with Doctor Who.
“I absolutely know I’m not being paid less than any other Doctor,” she said, according to the Press Association. “It is not the show to set that standard. This show is not the show that’s going to do that and then have that revelation be the sidebar – it isn’t, thank God.
“That’s not going to be an awkward press conference for me!”
The 36-year-old will make her debut at the Doctor when the show returns in the U.K. on 7 October (18), and she added she is excited for younger children to grew up seeing a woman in the iconic role.
“When I was growing up those characters didn’t look like us doing those things. Those were the white guys running about saving the day, doing really cool stuff, and if you were lucky, when I was a kid, you may be clapped at the side and may be passed something to help the really heroic moment happen,” she explained. “So to be in the moment of change for that is incredibly exciting.”
