'Matt Smith is the greatest actor to play the Doctor,' says Karen Gillan
"He has an otherworldly quality."
It's always a tense topic when it comes to the debate about who is the greatest actor to have portrayed the Doctor in long-running sci-fi series Doctor Who.
Well, series star Karen Gillan has given her verdict – and it will come as little surprise that she's picked her co-star Matt Smith.
In an interview with Variety to promote the upcoming second season of House of the Dragon, Gillan offered some words of support for Smith and shared his feelings about accepting the role of the Doctor at first.
She said: "He definitely was feeling pressure, but it never showed in any way.
"To me, he is the best actor that's ever played the Doctor, because he has an otherworldly quality. He's naturally eccentric, and he reels off technical jargon like it's a shopping list."
Smith rose to fame through his time on Doctor Who from 2010 to 2014, becoming the youngest person to have ever taken on the leading role.
It was Steven Moffat who hired Smith to replace fan-favourite David Tennant and starring alongside Smith was Gillan as his companion, Amy Pond.
In the same interview, Gillan also spoke a little about some of the starry roles that Smith has turned down over the years.
She said: "If you knew the things he hasn't done, you'd be shocked! He's turned down some huge things because they weren't the right stories for him. And it was exactly the right move."
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As for Gillan, she has continued to make a name for herself across the pond, having starred in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and other MCU movies as Nebula, as well as in the Jumanji films as Ruby Roundhouse.
Read more:
- Doctor Who confirms air time for Rogue – featuring mysterious Jonathan Groff
- Doctor Who star Callie Cooke: 'I'm obsessed with David Tennant'
For now, Smith will be returning to our screens as Daemon Targaryen in the Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon for season 2. He stars in the HBO series alongside Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke and Rhys Ifans.
Speaking about what we can expect from his House of the Dragon character, Smith told Variety: "You never really know which way he’s going to go. I always viewed him as an agent of chaos."
Doctor Who continues Saturdays on BBC One and iPlayer.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
