‘Doctor Who’ Star Matt Smith Denies Claims He Will Be Appearing In ‘Star Wars: Episode IX’
Fans of BBC’s Doctor Who were excited with the announcement last year that Matt Smith, who played the 11th Doctor, would be appearing in the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX. However, Smith has just gone on the record to deny these claims.
Previously, it had been announced by Variety in August of last year that Matt Smith would be joining the Star Wars: Episode IX line up. Variety said at the time that an undisclosed source had revealed the cast announcement and stated that Smith would be playing a “key role.”
According to an interview Matt Smith did with the Los Angeles Times, he will not be appearing in Star Wars: Episode IX.
“As far as I can tell, I’m definitely not,” Smith said.
However, as the Los Angeles Times pointed out, Smith is excellent at keeping secrets.
Emily Zemler, the journalist who interviewed Matt Smith for the Los Angeles Times, also took to Twitter to add her own thoughts regarding the announcement.
“Very much enjoying everyone freaking out that Matt Smith told me he’s not in Star Wars,” she stated via her official Twitter account.
“The studio never announced him being in it so it’s totally possible that was just a rumor. But also possible he wasn’t allowed to tell me.”
“The sort of actor that I like to be is that you want to be unpredictable, even to yourself, on set,” Matt Smith says. “Sometimes if you’re involved in mimicry, it can make that quite hard.” https://t.co/1vOKGK81HD
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) March 7, 2019
As Comic Book points out, while Doctor Who fans may be hoping that Matt Smith is merely withholding information about a potential upcoming role in the latest Star Wars movie, it seems unlikely. Considering there has been no news on which character Smith was potentially playing and the fact that Smith is a newcomer to the franchise, it would not likely be considered a spoiler to have Smith announced in the cast line up.
Star Wars: Episode IX is the final installment in the sequel trilogy in the famous franchise. Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, and Adam Driver as Kylo Ren have all been confirmed to return in the latest Star Wars movie. Mark Hamill will also appear in Episode IX as Luke Skywalker. Carrie Fisher, who died in 2016, will also appear as Princess Leia in the latest Star Wars movie. Her appearance will be via previously unused footage from The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, according to Indie Wire.
Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, and Keri Russell have also been confirmed as starring in Episode IX. However, their roles are being kept under tight wraps, according to Screen Rant.
Star Wars: Episode IX is slated for release on December 20, 2019.
