Star Wars: Matt Smith says his cut role would have been ‘transformative’ to franchise

‘It was like a big ... shift in the history of the franchise’

Matt Smith has said that the role he was meant to have in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker would have been “transformative” for the franchise.

Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Smith opened up about the role which he signed up for back in 2018. Smith never filmed his part after the script was altered.

“No, I didn’t [film any scenes,]” Smith told the podcast. “We were close to me being in it and then it never quite happened. I think the thing they were thinking of me for, eventually it became obsolete and they didn’t need it, and so, I never got to be in Star Wars, there we are.”

Rumours of Smith’s role circulated online among Star Wars fans, with many predicting he would play Emperor Palpatine’s son. While Smith said he “could not possibly say” whether the role was Palpatine’s son or not, he did hint that it was a significant one.

He continued: “But it was a pretty groovy thing, it was a really groovy part and concept. It was a big thing, it was a big story detail, a transformative Star Wars story detail and it never got quite over the line.”

“I mean it was like a big ... shift in the history of the franchise,” Smith added. “There was no costume [practice] and there were a couple of meetings to talk about it. Maybe I can come back, you never know.”

You can watch the interview here:

Meanwhile, Smith made a surprise cameo in This Time with Alan Partridge back in May, marking his first scripted TV appearance in four years.

The Doctor Who star, who last appeared on the small screen as Prince Philip in The Crown, joined This Time as a journalist, Dan Milner, who had criticised Partridge’s show, only to regret doing so when Steve Coogan’s character retaliated by dropping references to a presenter Milner was having an affair with.

Milner’s scene saw him call the show within the show “lousy”, criticising its “chit chat and banter” and Partridge’s interview with the inventor of the hand-dryer.

In response, Partridge insisted his viewers are less interested in the big political issues of the day and more invested in “hand-dryers, speed bumps and bigger fines for dog dirt”.

Smith is currently starring in Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho which opened in cinemas last week (29 October).