- Colin Morgan, Merlin (aka The Adventures of Merlin), TV, 2008-2012. Doctor Who was almost the young Merlin. He missed a daily four hours of make-up when transformed into Erasmus. Karen Gillan in the Guinevere mix. She also came from Who country. So did some 28 guests. And 14 from the future Game of Thrones. Plus Liam Cunningham and Julian Glover from both.
- Martin Freeman, Sherlock, 2010. Steven Moffat was one of the two rebooters of Conan Doyle’s hero. And also in charge of the new Whovian series that year. Smith’s audition for Dr Watson was ”barmy.” Perfect, therefore, said Moffat, for the 11th Doctor Who.
- Hans Matheson, 300: Rise of an Empire, 2013. Doc11 was unavailable (and somewhat weedy) for Aesyklos. Good news for the Scottish Matheson. He’d lost his last auditon for the same producer Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch, 2011. Thistime, Synder called him back in.
- Eddie Redmayne, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, 2015. Smith and Nicholas Hoult were listed for JK Rowling’s new hero, wizard and magizoologist Newton Artemis Fido ‘Newt’ Scamanderbefore Redmayne became the the sole target. Well, he was the latest Best Actor Oscar-winner (for The Theory of Everything, 2013). He signed on and helped cast the trilogy in five parts(!). No prequel or sequel to her Harry Potter creation, said Rowling, but an extension of the wizarding world, starting in 1926 New York – 65 years before Harry reads Scamander’s 1927 book at Hogwarts. So, Smith became Prince Phlip, The Duke of Edinburgh, husband (and better paid) of Claire Foy’s Queen Elizabeth II, in the much acclaimed Netflix series, The Crown.
- Riz Ahmed, Venom, 2017. Pascal, Matthias Schoernaerts and Matt Smith wwre in the frame for Carlton Drake. But Ahmed was selected by director Ruben Fleischer for the billionaire scientist mad enough to believe he could control sentient alien symbiotes. Like the titular Tom Hardy.
- Ewan McGregor, Doctor Sleep, 2018. What, asked so many Stephen King fans at book signings, happened to Danny Torrance? King would joke had wed Firestarter Charlie McGee, Then, he got to think – and what about Jack Torrance, and Wendy and Hallorann? The answers are in his sequel novel and its movie that had to please all factions. Those who love and deplore Kubrick’s film (and disregarded the TV series), vice-versa. (Or can’t read). New horror king Mike Flanagan (born two years after Carrie) checked into the Overlook Hotel. So, who could be Nicholson’s shining son, now the titular hospice orderly? Almost inevitably the top choices were Captain America, Hawkeye, Doctor Who and Downton’s Abbey’s Matthew Crawley (oh yes!). Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Matt Smith and Dan Stevens were all floored by Obi-Wan Kenobi… in the 273rd of King’s staggering 313 screen credits since Carrie in 1976. Flanagan was due for a prequel, Hallorann, But Sleep snored.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 6