A lot of rumors circulated the internet around the production of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. One such rumor was that Doctor Who star Matt Smith was cast in a “key role”. However, when the movie came out, he wasn’t in it. But now, Smith has set the record straight and says he was in fact almost cast in a very important role.
In a recent interview on Josh Horowitz’s “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Smith was asked if the rumors were true and if he was ever supposed to be in the film and he confirmed, saying “We were close to me being in it, but then it just never quite happened.”
According to Smith, he had several meetings where he discussed his potential role in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but never ended up shooting any scenes for the film, or even got fitted for a costume.
Smith remained tight-lipped about what the role would have been but, when Horowitz asked specifically if he was set to play Emperor Palpatine's son, Smith had this to say:
“I could not possibly say, I could not possibly say, but it was a pretty groovy thing. Like, it was a really groovy part and concept. It was a big thing. Pretty big — it was like a big story detail, like a transformative ‘Star Wars’ story detail. But it never quite got over the line.”
Smith also teases that his role would’ve been a “big shift in the history of the franchise.”
Smith can next be seen in HBO’s House of the Dragon, a prequel to Game of Thrones, next year.
Watch the video below to hear Smith’s story of almost getting cast from the man himself.