With Lucasfilm remaining stingy with the details on Star Wars: Episode IX, the project has practically been a blank canvas on which the internet can offer its rumors and theories, and that goes especially for the cast’s various newcomers. Matt Smith, for instance, has been the subject of a whole load hearsay which has generally placed the Doctor Who actor in a villainous role. A fresh development that may put a slight damper on this prediction, however, is that Smith denies even being in the movie.
The original source for the claim that Smith has a role in the feature was a Variety report published back in August. In other words, the assertion has a lot more going for it than your average Reddit rumor, which makes it a little surprising that journalist Emily Zemler has now tweeted the following after sitting down with Smith:
“One takeaway: Matt Smith is not in the next #StarWars movie, despite reports to the contrary. He told me, ‘As far as I can tell, I’m definitely not.’ (Although maybe we’ll be surprised by his secret keeping in December.)”
After seeing the uproar caused by this tweet, Zemler followed up her message with a reminder that the studio never announced Smith’s involvement, meaning that the claim may have just been a rumor. At the same time, she adds that it’s also possible that Smith simply wasn’t allowed to tell her.
If you’re looking for hope that Smith is just good at keeping secrets, Episode IX actor Richard E. Grant seemed to heavily hint at his involvement in an interview with Radio Times just a few weeks ago. After being asked if he and Smith would share any scenes in J.J. Abrams’ film, Grant replied:
“I would be fired if I told you anything about that.”
From the sound of things, there’s still every chance that the original Variety report had it right. That being said, we perhaps also shouldn’t rule out the possibility that the actor was hired, only for his performance to be cut from the film, making both Variety and Smith’s claims correct at the time each was made. Overall, the situation still feels very mysterious, but all will be revealed when Star Wars: Episode IX hits theaters on December 20th, 2019.