The casting team, which also included executive producer Piers Wenger of BBC Wales and new producer Steven Moffat, was impressed with Smith’s performance on the first day of casting. Smith was one of the first actors to try out for the role.
Smith also participated in a Sherlock audition, but Moffat turned her down on the grounds that Benedict Cumberbatch was a better fit for the part of John Watson, which had already been cast.
Smith, who was 26 years old, was the youngest actor to be considered for the job, being three years younger than Peter Davison when he was selected to play the Doctor in 1981.
The BBC was initially hesitant to hire him due to his senior age, but Wenger felt that Party Animals, which highlighted Smith’s “mercurial qualities,” had shown his acting talent.
Smith made his Doctor debut in the episode “The Eleventh Hour,” which aired in April 2010. Due to his youth and inexperience, some of his supporters had doubts, while others believed he had demonstrated his acting prowess and backed his casting.
For his performance in his first series, which won him a nomination for Outstanding Drama Performance at the National Television Awards, he became the first actor in the role to be nominated for a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor.
Matt Smith Relationships: Who has Matt Smith dated?
After they collaborated on the BBC programs “The Ruby in the Smoke” and “Secret Diary of a Call Girl” in 2006, Smith reportedly had a brief romantic relationship with British actor Billie Piper. They were seen holding hands at a Surrey event that year, however there was no formal confirmation of their connection.
After meeting while on vacation in Brazil in 2009, Smith began dating the Brazilian actor Mayana Moura. Smith was residing in London at the time, while Moura owned homes in Rio de Janeiro and New York.
Up until their breakup in 2013, Smith and British actor and model Daisy Lowe were romantically involved. The pair suffered from a photo hack in 2014, which resulted in the public leak of some of their naked photos, a year after their breakup.
Having met Lily James on the set of “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” in 2014, Smith started dating the “Baby Driver” actor. In December 2019, The Daily Mail reported that they had dissolved their romance, sparking rumors that they had split up.