There’s always a degree of skepticism when a new actor comes aboard to play another incarnation of the titular character in Doctor Who. But despite the fact that Matt Smith unquestionably proved his naysayers wrong after taking over from David Tennant’s 10th, there’s no denying that he did look too young to portray the 900-year-old Time Lord.
In fairness, though, the Jessica Jones star was a tough act to follow, as in the eyes of many Whovians, Tennant was the ultimate Doctor. His spectacular acting chops, relentless charisma and unwavering energy were so influential in and of themselves, in fact, that the British thespian still retains his spot as one of the top three Doctors in almost every poll on the internet. When Smith took over, though, it didn’t take fans long to fall head over heels in love with him.
One thing in particular that people attribute to the Eleventh as a defining characteristic is his unique ability to seamlessly transition from a child flailing his hands about to a scarred and ancient god, who, in the words of River Song, could turn an army around at the mention of his name.
Apparently, that’s something the previous Doctors can also appreciate in his stellar performance. Sylvester McCoy, the actor behind the 7th Doctor, recently discussed who should take over from Jodie Whittaker and explained why he was pleasantly surprised with Smith’s portrayal.
“It has to be someone with lots of character. I was surprised when they got Matt Smith. He looked about 12, and yet he was brilliant! One minute he looks 12, the next he looks 125. He has the perfect Doctor Who face. So, a surprise. A person of color would be great.”
As you may know, McCoy caught a lot of fire back in 2017 for his criticism of Jodie Whittaker’s casting as the first female Doctor, though the actor has admitted in the same interview that his hesitation was out of sexism; “It was stupid sexism … I thought, ‘Why change it?’ But after five minutes she was the Doctor, as far as I was concerned,” he said.
What were your thoughts on Matt Smith as the 11th, though? And who do you think should take over from Jodie when her journey on Doctor Who comes to a close? Let us know in the usual place below.
