Interview with Matt from SF Chronicle
Matt was recently interviewed fro the San Francisco Chronicle:
Matt Smith reflects on Doctor Who role
Rob Lowman, Los Angeles Daily News
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Los Angeles --
Sitting in a cabana by a pool next to a Beverly Hills hotel, Matt Smith is wearing oversized sunglasses, a form-fitting light-sweater and skinny jeans. With a mop of hair falling over his brow, the actor is a lot more relaxed than the frantic bow-tied character he plays on television - Doctor Who.
Though not as manic as the time-traveling lord who flits around the universe saving the day, the 28-year-old Smith seems to have the same nervous energy of a player itching to get into a game.
Maybe that's because Smith wanted to be a soccer player growing up but he hurt his back when he was 16 and a teacher introduced him to acting, putting him on a different career path.
"He told me to do what you're good at and cast me in a play. I'm very thankful to him," Smith says. "I was lucky enough to find a good person like that; it's a good thing. He really encouraged me, really guided me and had faith in me. I owe him a great deal."
It was little more than 10 years later in 2009 that Smith became the 11th Doctor Who in the sci-fi franchise's 48-year history. He took over the post from David Tennant, the well-respected Royal Shakespeare Company actor who had played the role for nearly five years and been voted by fans as the greatest Doctor Who ever.
Smith, by contrast, was relatively unknown when he was cast and five years younger than anyone who had taken on the role. He had done British television and stage but was recognizable to few. When Tennant left, producer-writer Steven Moffatt was looking to reboot, and Smith found himself trying out for the role with actors of all ages.
Tailoring role
While it may have been shocking for fans when he was chosen, after two years of playing the role, Smith has certainly made it his own, and the show seems re-energized. Last month, the "Doctor Who" cast, including Karen Gillan, who plays the Time Lord companion Amy Pond, received a rock star reception at Comic-Con in San Diego. However, there was a bit of puzzlement over highlights of the first episode - "Let's Kill Hitler" - set for when the series returns on Aug. 27 on BBC America.
"It was incredible; I shall remember it forever," Smith says about Comic-Con. "I've never experienced that type of passion and enthusiasm from a group of fans." (His favorite show growing up was "The Simpsons" and currently he loves "True Blood.") As for the "Hitler" episode, neither Moffatt nor Smith thinks it is as controversial as some fans tried to make it sound.
"I think we can unequivocally and controversially say that we were against Hitler," Moffatt said earlier in the day. "It may be my favorite episode to date," Smith adds.
But it isn't like the actor wasn't warned about what would happen when he was cast as the Doctor. "One of the first things Stephen said," Smith says, "was, 'Enjoy it because people will be talking about it the rest of your life.' You know, he's probably right, but that comes with the territory."
Smith hadn't been a fan of "Doctor Who" when he got the part because it was not on television when he was growing up. The series ran from 1963 to 1989, before being brought back in 2005 by Russell T. Davies, who is doing the "Doctor Who" spin-off "Torchwood Miracle Day" on Starz.
Reviewing shows
Since getting the role, Smith has gone back and watched the different incarnations of the series, citing Patrick Troughton, the second Doctor, as his favorite. Troughton, who began playing the Doctor in 1966, was in his mid-40s, the typical age for the time traveler.
In contrast, even at 28, Smith could play a decade younger. When asked why he thought he was cast, the actor says, "I guess I bring my inventiveness to it." And there is, indeed, a bit of youthful wackiness to the character that none of the other Doctors had.
He describes Doctor Who as being fascinated by the tiniest of things.
"That's what's wonderful about him. It's why children like him, I think, because he doesn't dismiss anything. He's not cynical. He's open to every single facet of the universe. I think that's a remarkable place to be in."
There are times though, when you wonder how the actor is able to spin out of that sci-fi jargon that is in the scripts with such ease and speed. Smith says the trick is to think of it as describing something simple - like tying your shoes - "then you find a way of normalizing it."
Unlike his counterpart, Smith is not "quite as erratic as the doctor. He can go from zero to 80 in the flip of a coin." But the actor says that "there was a sort of inherent pleasure about taking over that role" and it's only in hindsight he'll be able to look back and understand the pressure of it.
Co-star helped
Having Gillan come onboard in the role of Amy the same time he started helped, Smith says. "We've had to - for lack of a better phrase - pretty much hold hands, stick together and battle through and work hard, and we're really good friends as a result of that."
Smith says despite probably being identified as the Doctor for the rest of his life, he's not worried. "I don't think good actors get typecast. In 10 years' time I'll be playing very different parts than I am playing now. So there is plenty of time for me to evolve as an actor."
This article appeared on page E - 4 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Source
Matt Smith reflects on Doctor Who role
Rob Lowman, Los Angeles Daily News
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Los Angeles --
Sitting in a cabana by a pool next to a Beverly Hills hotel, Matt Smith is wearing oversized sunglasses, a form-fitting light-sweater and skinny jeans. With a mop of hair falling over his brow, the actor is a lot more relaxed than the frantic bow-tied character he plays on television - Doctor Who.
Though not as manic as the time-traveling lord who flits around the universe saving the day, the 28-year-old Smith seems to have the same nervous energy of a player itching to get into a game.
Maybe that's because Smith wanted to be a soccer player growing up but he hurt his back when he was 16 and a teacher introduced him to acting, putting him on a different career path.
"He told me to do what you're good at and cast me in a play. I'm very thankful to him," Smith says. "I was lucky enough to find a good person like that; it's a good thing. He really encouraged me, really guided me and had faith in me. I owe him a great deal."
It was little more than 10 years later in 2009 that Smith became the 11th Doctor Who in the sci-fi franchise's 48-year history. He took over the post from David Tennant, the well-respected Royal Shakespeare Company actor who had played the role for nearly five years and been voted by fans as the greatest Doctor Who ever.
Smith, by contrast, was relatively unknown when he was cast and five years younger than anyone who had taken on the role. He had done British television and stage but was recognizable to few. When Tennant left, producer-writer Steven Moffatt was looking to reboot, and Smith found himself trying out for the role with actors of all ages.
Tailoring role
While it may have been shocking for fans when he was chosen, after two years of playing the role, Smith has certainly made it his own, and the show seems re-energized. Last month, the "Doctor Who" cast, including Karen Gillan, who plays the Time Lord companion Amy Pond, received a rock star reception at Comic-Con in San Diego. However, there was a bit of puzzlement over highlights of the first episode - "Let's Kill Hitler" - set for when the series returns on Aug. 27 on BBC America.
"It was incredible; I shall remember it forever," Smith says about Comic-Con. "I've never experienced that type of passion and enthusiasm from a group of fans." (His favorite show growing up was "The Simpsons" and currently he loves "True Blood.") As for the "Hitler" episode, neither Moffatt nor Smith thinks it is as controversial as some fans tried to make it sound.
"I think we can unequivocally and controversially say that we were against Hitler," Moffatt said earlier in the day. "It may be my favorite episode to date," Smith adds.
But it isn't like the actor wasn't warned about what would happen when he was cast as the Doctor. "One of the first things Stephen said," Smith says, "was, 'Enjoy it because people will be talking about it the rest of your life.' You know, he's probably right, but that comes with the territory."
Smith hadn't been a fan of "Doctor Who" when he got the part because it was not on television when he was growing up. The series ran from 1963 to 1989, before being brought back in 2005 by Russell T. Davies, who is doing the "Doctor Who" spin-off "Torchwood Miracle Day" on Starz.
Reviewing shows
Since getting the role, Smith has gone back and watched the different incarnations of the series, citing Patrick Troughton, the second Doctor, as his favorite. Troughton, who began playing the Doctor in 1966, was in his mid-40s, the typical age for the time traveler.
In contrast, even at 28, Smith could play a decade younger. When asked why he thought he was cast, the actor says, "I guess I bring my inventiveness to it." And there is, indeed, a bit of youthful wackiness to the character that none of the other Doctors had.
He describes Doctor Who as being fascinated by the tiniest of things.
"That's what's wonderful about him. It's why children like him, I think, because he doesn't dismiss anything. He's not cynical. He's open to every single facet of the universe. I think that's a remarkable place to be in."
There are times though, when you wonder how the actor is able to spin out of that sci-fi jargon that is in the scripts with such ease and speed. Smith says the trick is to think of it as describing something simple - like tying your shoes - "then you find a way of normalizing it."
Unlike his counterpart, Smith is not "quite as erratic as the doctor. He can go from zero to 80 in the flip of a coin." But the actor says that "there was a sort of inherent pleasure about taking over that role" and it's only in hindsight he'll be able to look back and understand the pressure of it.
Co-star helped
Having Gillan come onboard in the role of Amy the same time he started helped, Smith says. "We've had to - for lack of a better phrase - pretty much hold hands, stick together and battle through and work hard, and we're really good friends as a result of that."
Smith says despite probably being identified as the Doctor for the rest of his life, he's not worried. "I don't think good actors get typecast. In 10 years' time I'll be playing very different parts than I am playing now. So there is plenty of time for me to evolve as an actor."
This article appeared on page E - 4 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Source