Our Resident ‘Doctor Who’ Expert asks: WHO is Matt Smith?
Comments(8)
- By drvenkman
Just “WHO” is Matt Smith? He has come out of relative obscurity to claim the role of one of the UK’s most beloved characters, The Doctor, in the longest running science fiction show in the world, ‘Doctor Who’. The native of Northampton, England, the 26 year old actor became the youngest actor to take over the role of The 11th Doctor, edging out the 5th Doctor by 3 years at the time of his casting in 1981.
Matt Smith was born in Northampton, England on October 28, 1982. Before he started acting he had quite a burgeoning football career, until a back injury prevented from allowing him to play anymore. His drama teacher introduced him to acting by signing him up to play the 10th juror in an adaptation of Twelve Angry Men. The rest, as they say is history.
Smith’s first television role was as Jim Taylor in the BBC adaptations of the Sally Lockhart quartet books The Ruby in the Smoke and The Shadow in the North, opposite Billie Piper in the lead role. He would act alongside Piper once more in the Secret Diary of a Call Girl.
He also has won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Newcomer in his role as Henry in the critically acclaimed Polly Stenham play That Face
Smith’s first major television role came in the form of 26 year old Danny in the show Party Animals. Party Animals was a show about parliamentary advisors and researchers in Westminster.
All of this is all well and good, but does it give Smith what he needs to be “The Last of the Time Lords”? Executive Producer Stephen Moffat had this to say on the subject.
“The Doctor is a very special part, and it takes a very special actor to play him. You need to be old and young at the same time, a boffin and an action hero, a cheeky schoolboy and the wise old man of the universe. As soon as Matt walked through the door, and blew us away with a bold and brand new take on the Time Lord, we knew we had our man.”
I am a firm believer in the fact that there has never been a bad Doctor, just bad people behind the scenes. Whenever Stephen Moffat is involved something spectacular has come to the screen. In this instance I am reserving my judgment until Spring 2010 when Matt Smith takes over the TARDIS. The pair of shoes he is putting on however, are a mighty big pair. That I wouldn’t put past anyone to follow.
-The Doctor
He's so dreamy. I hope him and Rose hook up.
David Tennant will always be The Doctor to me. I hope they bring Martha back. I love Freema Agyeman
I love David tennant and hate to see him go…i hope that matt smith will do as good a job as everyone says he will because otherwise i will be very disappointed. And i think that he should have a new companion rather than bringing someone back, although a martha cameo would b e pretty cool.
Christopher and David both really brought their characters to life as the Ninth and Tenth, respectively, and I think Smith will do the same a the Eleventh, but honestly I just don't know who he is. Also, he's not really good-looking. He kind of looks like a reanimated 900-year-old alien corpse. Look at that forehead!
The way things ended with Series 4 of Doctor Who and Series 2 of Torchwood, I'd expect Martha as a full time character on Torchwood. It would be cool to see Mickey there too. Just to round it all out.
@Christopher: they rounded the Doctor and Roses story out by allowing the Secnd Doctor to stay with her in the paralle universe, thus finally letting him tell her that he loved her. Since the walls of that world are closed for ever there is no way that Rose can be with the new Doctor. Why would she, when she's already with him?
@TheDoctor: Freema Agyeman was meant to join the cast of Torchwood, they wrote her into the show but instead of staying on in the Whoverse she chose to accept a different role on Law and Order UK, so no, Martha will not become a fulltime member of the Torchwood crew anytime soon. As for Mickey, who knows? Noel Clarke has a whole bunch of movies lined up for 2009/2010 but you never know!
Hmm Matt Smith. I'm keen to see what he can bring to the role, over the years every actor thats taken on this role has added their own flavour and personlity traits so it's going to be interesting to see what Smith adds.
and P.S i love that his last name is Smith, when The Doctor often goes by the alias John Smith.
I was really hoping that Martha and Mickey would join Torchwood. I thought they would have fit in perfect to the 2 empty slots. Martha taking over for Owen as the medic and Mickey taking over for Tosh as the "tech".
I hope Torchwood keeps going. I love that show.
They also leave a return from Tennant open. Let me explain. If, for some reason Matt Smith's Doctor tanks in the ratings, they can open that dimensional rift again and in comes David Tennant's Doctor. wishful thinking, I know. But it's a logical way of thinking.