Before They Were Doctors: Eleventh Doctor Edition, Matt Smith

In this weekly new series, Before They Were Doctors, we’re taking a closer look at the stars of Doctor Who before they were on the show.

In this week’s installment of Before They Were Doctors we’re taking a look at the Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith. Aside from being the Time Lord, he’s super interesting, both personally and professionally.

Here’s a few times you would have seen him before he was a doctor, and few tidbits about his life you probably didn’t know.

He was almost a professional footballer.

He was in training when a very serious back injury curtailed his dreams about footballing or as Americans know it, soccer. Once he realized his career in sports was never meant to be, he decided to study drama at the University of East Angila.

He’s the youngest actor to ever play the Doctor.

At the tender age of 26, he broke the record. In fact, he was recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records. He also broke records with the 50th Anniversary Special “The Day Of The Doctor.” It earned a record for being the most broadcast episode of the show, as it was shown live in 94 countries.

He and Billie Piper have a past.

Although she may not have played his companion in his seasons, they appeared on screen several times before. They appeared together in The Ruby In The Smoke, then The Shadow In The North. He also turned up in a steamy episode of her hit show Secret Diary Of A Call Girl. The two shot a love-scene together, and Whovian worlds collided.

He’s a serious sock collector.

He’s a self-confessed sock addict, collecting hundreds of pairs. He’s even admitted to spending £100 for one pair. (That’s about 125 American dollars). Maybe this is what landed him on GQ’s 50 Best Dressed Men.

He was almost in Sherlock.

But as John Watson, not Holmes himself. He had to go through a rigourous casting process, but was ultimately deemed, “too Sherlock-y.” Apparently that’s a thing.

He was in Terminator: Genysis

Okay, this isn’t technically “before he was a star,” but it’s worth mentioning, for sure. He plays Alex, an advanced T-5000 Terminator who embodies Skynet.

He starred as the father of his own clone.

In one of the weirdest sci-fi plots, to date, Matt starred alongside Eva Green in Womb. In this creepily incestuous film, Matt Smith’s character dies early on, just as he’s falling in love with Eva’s character. So, she takes his DNA, and using new technology, becomes pregnant with a cloned version of him – and then waits for him to grow up. Yikes.

Matt Smith is one of the all time favorite among fans, and his run as the Doctor proved to be one of the most popular of all time.

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