Matt Smith to Quit - or Not?

[duncan]

Bear in mind that this report has appeared in The Sun, so make of it as you wish. They are saying that Matt Smith is considering quitting at the end of his second series in order to crack Hollywood.

The Sun

[Lissa]

But a pal said: "Matt plans to quit after the next series."

They certainly have it on the highest authority.

[Rob McCow]

Yes. The lure of playing supporting roles in films like GI-Joe and St Trinians is a great one for any actor of talent.

[Dino]

The Sun just want him out so they can campaign for Jason Stratham to get the part!
In three years we can look back and laugh. I'm starting now!

[Si Hunt]

Look at David Tennant! His glittering career in Hollywood must be making Matt just itch to give up the part of the Doctor!

I often wonder if agents circulate these stories to bump up their clients' fees when contracts need renewing. Behind the scenes, has Series 7 just been given the go-ahead and are the BBC about to begin barttering to retain Matt's services into 2012?

Si.

[Perry Vale]

Well....

If anyone remembers my dream with Steven Moffat in (mentioned on the Whospotting thread), curiously last night I had another similar dream that I had been chosen to play the next Doctor, and was 'trailing' Matt Smith & the production team as they made S6. I was just about to have a chat with one of the execs about how much I'd be paid, and then I woke up.

So maybe it's all true?

[Captain Tancredi]

I've said a few times that I think the BBC will want either a regeneration or a new Doctor in 2013 for the 50th anniversary- Si may be close to the mark in that it could be code for "he doesn't plan on doing it forever but he'll stay if you make it worth his while". As a comparatively young actor he probably needs a bit more financial security and a few more lines on his acting CV before heading for Hollywood- and he strikes me as the sort of actor who's more likely to be interested in character parts and small-scale independent films in any case.

[Si Hunt]

It'd be nice if, one of these days, an actor managed to out-stay Tom just because they loved doing it. I'm glad Tennant went after TEOT because basically I was fed up of him, but after five years he could have easily stayed another three - 8 years wouldn't have hurt his chances of future work any more than 5.

Also apart from the shoddy 'Doctor went to far' "arc" that seemed to apparently have been resolved by the awful, faith-destroying 'car keys' scene in EOT, Tennant's Doctor remained pretty constant throughout his tenure. They could stop us tiring of Mat Smith over a longer reign by giving his Doctor some proper character development, so he actually changes and goes through some life-altering stuff 4 or 5 years in.

Si.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

I remember on a Doctor Who docu on Troughton that it was said that one of the reasons he left the role was "the longer I do this the less I'm being asked to do other things".

And there must be an element of that, a fear that if you're in the role too long, people will so typecast you that you'll never be asked to do anything else.

Look at David Tennant! His glittering career in Hollywood must be making Matt just itch to give up the part of the Doctor!

It does feel a bit after all the talk of how everyone wanted to poach Tennant that he's fell into a bit of a black hole of late ...

[Si Hunt]

He (or his agent) seem to have really bad judgement over new roles. During Who he began to carve out a lucrative Cloonesque role doing versatile gritty ITV dramas. So why on Earth is he now faffing around with US sitcom pilots and auditioning for The Hulk?! Neither, to me, seem either appropriate to his talents or a decent springboard for future offers.

Si. :mobile

[Rob McCow]

Perhaps there's simply more money for doing 'trash' in the USA than doing 'quality drama' over here?

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Perhaps there's simply more money for doing 'trash' in the USA than doing 'quality drama' over here?

Hardly a newsflash. I can't believe Charlie Sheen supposedly gets a million an episode for Two and A Half Men, which seems about the worst thing on TV at the moment.

But it is indeed an odd series of career choices. Heck he took a year off in 2008 to do Shakespeare so people would treat him seriously.

Or maybe he's lying low just long enough that when he pops up again we won't be going "look it's the Doctor".

[Si Hunt]

I always find it hard to know when people get rich enough to stop working "for the money". Am I naieve to think people don't ALWAYS work for the money? When you've got a few million (as Tennant must have) do you still crave more? Do you simply stop saving up for houses and cars and start saving up for mansions and oil wells or something? Do people with five million quid in the bank feel unhappy unless they are striving for ten million? I'm sure if I had £5m I wouldn't do shit US TV just for more money - I'd rather do projects I liked and be happy with the money I had.

Si.

[SiHart]

Of course, it could all be made up, couldn't it? he might be quite happy where he is and might be staying for ages. This artcle says very little that can be backed up aside from this "friend" of Matt Smith who could be anyone.

Everytime we get a new Doctor we spend ages worrying about when he's going to leave.

Si xx

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Everytime we get a new Doctor we spend ages worrying about when he's going to leave.

Except Ecclestone, who just told us where we stood from the outset!

[Si Hunt]

Yeah, at least you knew where you were with him. Maybe all Doctors should resign before their first story goes out!

Si.

[Perry Vale]

Well, if Rupert Murdoch's new government get their way with the license fee, as they've suggested this week, Matt Smith may find the decision taken out of his hands.

[Si Hunt]

Why?

Si.

[Perry Vale]

Because expensive programming will be the most likely to be cut if the license fee is reduced.

[Si Hunt]

Good job the last season of Who looked so cheap then!



Si.

[Rob McCow]

Hurrah! We've found something else to worry about.

I don't think this year looked that cheap. In fact, up until Amy's Choice it looked substantially more expensive. If they want to cut Doctor Who back, then wouldn't they do shorter seasons or more two parters?

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Surely getting rid of Jonathon Ross will only help balancing the BBCs budget?

[Perry Vale]

Wossy's wages were peanuts really, in the grand scheme of things, but that's before what the Con-Dems are suggesting, which is actually reducing the license fee. You can't keep making the same programming for less money. Especially if it's star, or agent, believe they should be getting a pay rise.

I actually didn't think this year's shows looked 'cheap', but I did feel it was evident that that the budget had been reigned back slightly.

[SiHart]

Well they probably saved a huge amount by paying Matt Smith less than David Tennant to start with.

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

And I bet Gillen was on chicken feed too.

Si.