In the world of Doctor Who, each actor portraying the titular role brings something unique to the part. From Peter Capaldi’s older, more curt Doctor, to Matt Smith’s lighter and boyish approach to the character, the stars give fans something new with every portrayal. Back when the time came for 10th Doctor David Tennant to pass the baton to Matt Smith, the latter knew he had a big task on his hands, considering the amount of expository dialogue in the script. Smith recently reflected on the essential advice Tennant gave him to help with learning his lines.
In an interview with Variety, the House of the Dragon star reminisced about some of his most memorable lines from across his career. When the subject turned to Doctor Who's iconic lines, Smith reflected on his experiences, and how much of an undertaking the role's dialogue was. Doctor Who's leads tend to be incredibly fast-talking, with much of the complet plot and functions of this world being articulated by the central character. When Tennant left the role and Smith took over, he left the younger actor with the following essential advice, according to Smith:
The line learning for that job was insatiable. And David Tennant, God love him, said to me when I, when I sort of phoned him and got the job and asked him for different bits of advice, he was really generous with that. He was like, 'Learn all of your lines on Sunday, because you've got to go back and do them.' Because you're shooting like 10 pages a day. [The Doctor is] the vocal point for the exposition, essentially, because he's saying everything that he sees. And obviously is television, so you're not doing it visually in quite the same way that you would in a film. You've got to explain what's going on to the audience, because the story's got to move so quickly. So the line learning was just off the Richter scale, like a lot.
Even though playing the role required a lot of work on his part, Matt Smith ended up staying on the popular series for three years, and remains one of the most beloved actors to play the part, even if Tennant still remains the fan favorite. Tennant’s advice must’ve been helpful, considering Smith made the wordy dialogue seem natural, and stream of consciousness, immersing the audience in the world.
The two Doctor actors even interacted at one point in the series, making for one of the best Doctor Who episodes to date. They showcased their ability to rapidfire the franchise's intricate lines together, and it seems like the prior advice paid off quite well.
Smith also reflected on how positive of an experience working on the show was, and how much he loved the character. He said:
One of the greatest experiences of my life and not just my my family and my friends because it's such a to be so closely connected with a part like that for the legacy of it one but also just for the day to day of being, like having to think like the doctor is sort of magic.
The magic of Doctor Who helps justify why so many people still resonate with the character and the ever-developing lore. The show in its entirety has been around for decades, with 30 seasons under its belt. There have so far been 14 actors taking on the Doctor, making each part of a beloved legacy that will continue throughout their respective careers. Smith hasn’t played the role in a major capacity in over 10 years, but his presence left a mark, and will likely be celebrated forever. Considering his continued love for the experience, this is a very special thing.
Clearly the line0-learning tip from Tennant has been advantageous in his continued success as well. Smith has been a part of immersive storytelling experiences in series like The Crown and House of the Dragon. Both of these shows require the actors to build their world through dialogue, a skill Smith is basically an expert at now. It seems like Tennant not only helped Smith when playing the Doctor, but also gave him a sound piece of advice to carry with him throughout his career. That’s a true friend.
You can revisit both David Tennant and Matt Smith’s tenure on BBC’s Doctor Who with a Max subscription. You can also check out the latest season of Doctor Who starring Ncuti Gatwa, which is available with a Disney+ subscription.
