Matt Smith famously portrayed the polite and stoic Prince Philip in The Crown, but he isn’t afraid to express his own views and isn’t as reserved in real life.
A 43-year-old actor surprised a London audience this week with a strongly-worded, expletive-filled criticism of politicians, blaming them for the problems facing the arts in Britain.
Actor Matt Smith, best known for playing the Eleventh Doctor on Doctor Who, criticized politicians for cutting funding for drama and music programs in schools. He made these comments during a live question-and-answer session at a Paul Smith store in London, hosted by A Rabbit’s Foot magazine.
‘I think it’s a f***ing mess. It’s a tragic mess, actually,’ Matt said.
It’s been totally ignored and it’s frankly disgusting. They should be ashamed of letting it fall into this state. The Conservatives were responsible for removing everything, weren’t they?
It’s really disappointing how much arts and music education has been cut from schools across the country. To be honest, I think it’s a terrible loss for students.
The BAFTA-nominated actor explained why organizations like the National Youth Theatre are so valuable. As a charity, it provides opportunities for young people, especially those who might not have access to arts education through their schools. He personally benefited from it, as it brought together kids from all over the country, offering scholarships and making it available to everyone regardless of their background.
We need to closely monitor the government’s actions on this issue and question them, as their current approach seems inadequate.
Matt has usually avoided sharing his political views publicly, and this is one of the few times he’s spoken so directly about how the government operates.
The actor, famous for playing Prince Philip in The Crown and Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon, shocked the crowd with a sudden outburst.
Born in Northampton, the actor initially wanted to be a professional soccer player and even played for Leicester City’s youth team. Unfortunately, a back injury ended that dream. Luckily, a drama teacher saw his potential and encouraged him to try acting, which led him to join the National Youth Theatre.
After studying drama and creative writing at the University of East Anglia, he began a career that eventually made him one of the most well-known actors in Britain.
He started his acting career on stage at the National Theatre and the Royal Court, and in 2010, he made history as the youngest person to take on the role of Doctor Who.
He’s voicing concerns shared by many artists: that arts programs like drama and music are being squeezed out of schools in the UK due to ongoing funding cuts.
The Labour government has promised to revitalize the UK’s creative sector and examine how arts are funded in schools, but advocates feel progress is happening too slowly.
Matt blamed the previous Conservative administrations for what he sees as a cultural crisis.
London’s National Youth Theatre has a strong history of providing opportunities for young people from diverse backgrounds. Many successful actors, such as Dame Helen Mirren, Idris Elba, and Daniel Day-Lewis, got their start there.
Honestly, seeing Matt talk about how joining the New York Times totally changed his life just gets me. He’s said it himself – it opened doors to acting that he didn’t even know existed! It’s like, without that opportunity, we might never have gotten to see him on screen, and I can’t even imagine that now. It’s just… everything!
His strong reaction joins a number of other British actors, like Olivia Colman and Andrew Scott, in speaking out about how cuts to arts funding are negatively affecting the industry.
Matt attended the London premiere of ‘The Death of Bunny Munro’ at the Royal Festival Hall last week, alongside his fellow actors.
The upcoming six-part television series is produced by Clerkenwell Films for Sky Atlantic.
This film is based on Nick Cave’s 2009 novel, and features Matt and Rafael Mathé as the main actors. Nick Cave and Smith both also worked as executive producers on the project.
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2025-11-06 14:04