Eleanor Tomlinson would be "pretty upset" if she found out Aidan Turner was earning more than her for 'Poldark'.

Eleanor Tomlinson

Eleanor Tomlinson

The pair play main stars Ross and Demelza Poldark in the BBC drama series, and the 26-year-old actress believes she should have parity with her 34-year-old co-star because they are both "equal lead" characters.

When asked if she and the Irish actor were paid the same, she simply 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."

Despite being pals off-screen, Eleanor admitted she and Aidan tend to fall out from time to time while discussing their characters.

He said: "We're great mates, although we do row. We row about everything - usually our characters.

"We're both ridiculously protective of them and squabble like an old married couple.

"Usually it's one of us saying that our character wouldn't behave a certain way. Aidan loves everything being his [character's]. But then he loves to wind me up."

'Poldark' became an instant success in 2015, partly thanks to Aidan's shirtless scenes as Ross, and the 'Ordeal By Innocence' actress can see why he got "frustrated" that people were talking about him topless rather than the show itself.

Speaking to Red magazine, 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."