The disease that twisted the destiny of Matt Smith, the actor who shone in The Crown and shines in House of the DragonAlthough his drama teacher envisioned a great artistic future for him, he just wanted to play football. And he did. Until an unexpected diagnosis changed his life

Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon, the Game of Thrones prequel

When the fans of game of Thrones They thought they had seen it all hbo max decided to produce a spin-off. House of the Dragon It was released on Sunday the 21st and broke a record: it became the most successful premiere in the history of the platform. And it is already known that there will be a second season.

House of the Dragon goes back two centuries with respect to the events that occurred in G.O.T.. Focuses on growth of House Targaryens, recounts its origin and splendor, but also the division of the family through a specific event. Here, one of the protagonists is matt smithwho puts himself in the shoes of the prince Daemon Targaryensyounger brother of Viserys I. This heir to the throne is portrayed as a matchless warrior and rider of dragons.

“I knew that Paddy (Considine) was working on the project and I’ve always admired him,” he told TechMarkup Smith, who in addition to Considine (the king Viserys Targaryens) is accompanied by Emma D’Arcy (the princess Rhaenyra Targaryens) Y Olivia Cooke (Alice Hightower). “Then I read the pilot and thought he looked great. A page turn and I felt like this world, in the pilot, felt pretty clear. But mainly, there are so many gray areas in Demon… You could go this way or you could go that way. It felt like a really challenging and interesting role to play.”

Matt Smith in House of the Dragon
Matt Smith in House of the Dragon

But behind this actor that many are beginning to discover now, a rich career is hidden, which has been on the rise for several years and does not seem to find a ceiling. In turn, Matt has a life story that almost puts him far away from acting. A misfortune that -from today’s perspective- turned into fortune.

Smith was born Northampton, England, on October 28, 1982. During his school days he attended theater classes and was one of the most outstanding students. But he was not very convinced. His teacher had a lot to do with his fate. Already as a boy, without notifying him, he signed him up to be part of the work Twelve Angry Men. It was an adaptation made for a theater festival, but when he told him, young Matt did not accept. He didn’t want to know anything.

The one who taught him did not lower his arms, he was emphasizing his potential and that was how he was convinced to enroll in the National Youth Theater From london. After finishing high school he entered the University of East Anglia to study drama and creative writing. By then, art already sheltered him, and he saw with good eyes that it was his way of earning a living.

Matt Smith in Doctor Who

He was 24 years old when he made his first foray into The Ruby in the Smokein 2006. A year later he appeared in Secret Diary of the Call Girlto then hit the jump in Doctor Who. The British series that aired between 2010 and 2013 was his springboard to show himself to the world. And the press began to take care of him.

Smith still remembers one of the first interviews. She gave it to Guardian. And the definitions that the journalist used to refer to him were engraved on him: “Thin as a bean sprout”, “With a worryingly white skin”, “His forehead like a protruding cliff” and “Rock star from space”, wrote the chronicler. Far from being confused, he did nothing but laugh and admit that, to say the least, the journalist had been very expressive.

For the industry, he was a talent that had to be polished, and that ended up happening in 2016 when he was called to The Crown. In the first two seasons she played Philip of Edinburghhusband of the queen Isabel II. Not only was his physical resemblance discussed, but also the way to personify him. The series earned him much of his popularity.

Matt Smith with Claire Foy in The Crown

But everything could have been erased at a stroke if Matt Smith had gone after his true passion: football. He was a great player, an athlete with projection that an injury took him away from the playing fields. He made inferiors in the Northamton and later, a talent scout saw him and took him to the leicester citywhere he signed his first contract.

He was just 15 years old when he began to feel severe pain in his back. With the passing of the training sessions, her condition worsened, until they carried out studies on her. The diagnosis was as unexpected as it was devastating: he had cervical spondylosis, a degeneration of the vertical spine that does not allow him to make great efforts. Smith had to leave high-performance sport, at the very moment that the England team was following in his footsteps to add him to the Under 16s.

“It was a difficult moment because I felt dissatisfied. To be honest, I was so sure that playing football was what I was going to do that it was very difficult for me to tell people that I had been diagnosed with this disease. My ego said: ‘I am that, I am a footballer’. And you know how it is: at school he was the soccer player for everyone and suddenly, nothing, “he lamented in Desert Island Discs.

In the midst of desolation, his drama teacher, Terry Hardingham, managed to get him out of his anguish with just one sentence: “You were never destined to be a footballer, I always thought you were very good at acting.” That day he focused his head on dramatic art. And Matt Smith ended up twisting the destiny that he believed was already written for his life.

Matt Smith at the presentation of The House of the Dragon (Photo: REUTERS)

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