Matt Smith may be perfect for the role of Prince Philip in The Crown, but it took some convincing to get him to take on the commitment.
Following Jenna Coleman’s debut in the starring role in the ITV miniseries Victoria, former co-star Matt Smith will soon be appearing as Prince Philip in the upcoming Netflix miniseries The Crown, premiering on November 4th. Even after auditioning for the role, however, he was unsure whether or not he wanted to commit to working on another show after his experience working on Doctor Who. According to an article by Huw Fullerton of Radio Times, producer Andrew Eaton revealed that Smith’s concern was that starting such a project “would take up a lot of his time and keep him from doing other things.”
Speaking with the press at a special event for the program, Eaton expressed how pleased he was that Smith was persuaded to come on board. He revealed that, while many actors auditioned for the part of Prince Philip, Smith “was the only person who could do it.” One reason for this was how well the actor “gelled” with his co-star Claire Foy (Queen Elizabeth II), despite working “in completely different ways.”
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According to Eaton, what will be particularly exciting about Smith’s involvement in The Crown is that he has been able to express himself as an actor in new ways. While fantastic in his former role, portraying the Doctor prevented him from showing different aspects of his talent.
While working on The Crown, Smith, ever in demand by fans, had to juggle the shooting schedule with “various Comic Con things and stuff.” As to be predicted, the fandom also showed up to the set. Eaton continued,
"Obviously when you were filming you’d get a lot of kids of a certain age who’d flock to him in complete awe, and he’s brilliant at that. He has a real sweetness about him which I think comes out in his acting."
While that is all well and good, Eaton is confident that this new role will expand both the public’s and the industry’s consciousness regarding what Smith is capable of in terms of his acting range.
Ecchoing Smith’s time as the Eleventh Doctor, Winston Churchill will be a character in The Crown, this time played by the outstanding John Lithgow.
Check out the trailer below:
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