He played the impeccably well-mannered, stiff-upper-lip Prince Philip in The Crown, but Matt Smith has proved he’s far less restrained when it comes to his own opinions.
The actor, 43, shocked a live audience in London this week when he launched a foul-mouthed rant at politicians over the ‘f***ing mess’ of the creative arts sector in Britain.
Matt, who rose to fame as the Eleventh Doctor in Doctor Who, was speaking at a live Q&A at a Paul Smith store in London, hosted by the magazine A Rabbit’s Foot, when he accused politicians for ‘ripping out’ drama and music from schools.
‘I think it’s a f***ing mess. It’s a tragic mess, actually,’ Matt said.
‘I think it’s been completely neglected. It’s actually abhorrent. And I think shame on them. It was the Tories, wasn’t it, that ripped it all out.
‘The fact that there’s so little drama now, and music, in schools around the country… I mean, it’s been stripped out. I think it’s a disgrace, to be honest with you.’
Matt Smith shocked a live audience in London this week when he launched a foul-mouthed rant at politicians over the ‘f***ing mess’ of the creative arts sector in Britain
His outburst is a far cry away from when he played the impeccably well-mannered, stiff-upper-lip Prince Philip in The Crown
The BAFTA-nominated star added: ‘That’s why things like the National Youth Theatre are really important. It’s a charity and it’s something I really believe in because I feel like, particularly if you’re not from one of the more affluent schools or areas, what was great about that for me is that there were kids from all around the country and some had scholarships and some didn’t, but it was accessible in a really universal way.
‘So I think we’ve got to keep an eye on, and challenge, the government about this because I think it’s pretty poor.’
Matt has generally kept his political opinions private throughout his career and has rarely been heard speaking so bluntly about government policy.
Known for portraying Prince Philip in the Netflix royal drama The Crown – and the cunning Daemon Targaryen in HBO’s House of the Dragon – his outburst surprised the audience.
The Northampton-born actor originally dreamed of becoming a professional footballer, playing youth football for Leicester City before a back injury ended his hopes. However, when a drama teacher encouraged him to pursue acting instead, he joined the National Youth Theatre.
He went on to study drama and creative writing at the University of East Anglia before launching a career that would make him one of Britain’s most recognisable actors.
After stage roles at the National Theatre and the Royal Court, he became the youngest actor ever to play Doctor Who in 2010.
His criticism of the lack of support for the arts in the UK echoes fellow creatives’ concerns that drama and music have been pushed to the margins of state education after years of cuts.
Matt has generally kept his political opinions private throughout his career and has rarely been heard speaking so bluntly about government policy (pictured in 2024)
Matt, who became the youngest ever actor to play the Doctor in hit BBC series Doctor Who, accused politicians for ‘ripping out’ drama and music from schoolsÂ
Although the Labour government has pledged to rebuild the UK’s creative industries and review arts funding in schools, campaigners say change has been slow.
Matt blamed the previous Conservative administrations for what he sees as a cultural crisis.
The National Youth Theatre in London has long been credited with opening doors for people from all backgrounds. Alumni include Dame Helen Mirren, Idris Elba and Daniel Day-Lewis.
Matt has previously said that joining the NYT ‘completely transformed my life’, giving him a path into acting that would otherwise have been closed off.
His outburst adds his name to a growing list of British stars – including Olivia Colman and Andrew Scott – who have voiced concern over the impact of arts cuts.
Last week Matt joined his co-stars for the premiere of The Death of Bunny Munro at the Royal Festival Hall in London.Â
The upcoming six-part television series is produced by Clerkenwell Films for Sky Atlantic.
It serves as an adaptation of the 2009 Nick Cave novel of the same name and stars Matt and Rafael Mathé in the lead roles, with Smith and Cave also serving as executive producers.
