Matt Smith appears to have again fallen on his sword in the aid of a friend, as we learn that he will play the "dreaded cousin" Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. No, Matt--No. Speculation is that Lily James (who is playing Elizabeth Bennett) drew him to the project, but surely Matt Smith values his career more than his love life? C'mon, he's gracious and delightful, but this time it could seriously affect future opportunities. No, Matt---No. He should follow Arthur Darvill, David Tennant...even Alex Kingston and manage his public persona by doing quality projects, not by trying to reach a quantity of viewers.
First, we have Ryan Gosling's How To Catch..... oooopppps, Lost River. Matt shone through as the class act, but Lost River tanked at Cannes and is still in limbo for a US release. Smith stood by his friend Gosling, and we admire him for that. Then, we heard about his role in a new series of Terminator movies, and we all took a breath and said a prayer that this would turn out to be better than the premise sounded. It might be a high profile role but let's face it, the last two Terminator films were not very well received, and the aging Schwarzenegger has not had a hit movie since he left politics and returned to acting. It's not sounding good, is it? (I'm still breathing shallowly in a hyperventilated prayer.)
Then... Matt agrees to be zombified in a pop version of the prized British novel by Jane Austen.
Certainly appealing to lowest-common denominator horror fans, Matt's base has also been the girls who date those horror-mongers. But now we, his adult fans, feel ridiculous for reminding the world he got a BAFTA nomination for Doctor Who. Or crowing how he is a gifted actor - just watch The Big Bang or Akhaten monologues, or his performance when Amy left to join Rory, or when he emoted during regeneration that "I will always remember when the Doctor was me". Scenes that will be ringing in our hearts forever.
Yes, it's less than a year since he left Doctor Who ... but we have to reconcile that we may want to be the ones forgetting he was our beloved 11th Doctor. From Lost River to Terminator through Zombies and too many podunk comicon appearances where fans pay for a picture, Matt seems to be taking misstep from the jaws of misstep.
I haven't even mentioned the stage adaptation of American Psycho, as even after dumping Matt, they were dumped by Second Stage in NYC, so clearly that one wasn't his fault. Simply put, Matt Smith is better than the projects he's picking. But we Smith fans have to acknowledge that HE is the one picking them.
As a Smith devotee, not a fan-girl but an adult viewer who calls him "her doctor," I am honestly worried for Matt. His Mom and Sister need to slap and then hug him for us. His friends Cumberbatch, Fillion and Tennant need to bolster him as social media roasts him in absentia. Today, I find myself saying to Mr. Smith, "no, Matt.....no."
Stacy enjoys sharing her occasionally polarizing opinions to elicit discussion. In a phrase, she states: "I don't want readers to be parrots...unless they are of the Python variety wherein a "palindrome of BOLTON would be NOTLOB." A former university professor and current secondary educator... Ms. Embry is also a writer, Educational Psychologist and Grief Counselor in Indianapolis, Indiana USA.
