‘Poldark’ producers have confirmed Aidan Turner is "paid more" than Eleanor Tomlinson.
Mammoth Screen have revealed the 34-year-old actor has a higher wage because his character Ross Poldark appears on screen "significantly more" than her alter-ego Demelza Poldark, despite Eleanor saying she would be "pretty upset" if she discovered he took home more cash for the show.
A spokeswoman for Mammoth Screen said: "Whilst we can’t and won’t disclose the details, we do pay Aidan Turner more for playing Ross Poldark as throughout all series Ross has significantly more screen time than any other character."
This comes after Eleanor, 26, said she should have parity with her co-star because they are both "equal lead" characters.
When asked if she and the Irish actor were paid the same, she said: "My guess is no.
"And while at the beginning that might have been OK – he was a bigger star than me – now I don’t think so.
"We’re equal leads of the show, so I’d be pretty upset if the gap hadn’t closed."
‘Poldark’ became an instant success in 2015, partly thanks to Aidan’s shirtless scenes as Ross, and Eleanor can see why Aidan got "frustrated" that him being topless was "all people could talk about", rather than the programme itself.
She added: "It was all people could talk about. And when you make eight hours of television and people can only remember two scenes, you’re like, ‘Oh come on.’
"But I get it. Like, don’t get me wrong. I’m looking, going, ‘Sure, yeah. I’m with you ladies.’ But I can see why he got frustrated with it."