Matt Smith’s Mind-boggling Confession After Being Cut Out of a $1 Billion Star Wars Film Makes it All the More Embarrassing  

Directed by J.J. Abrams, 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was the final episode of the nine-part Skywalker Saga. Set after the events of The Last Jedi, the movie follows Finn and Poe Dameron as they lead the Resistance to put a stop to the First Order’s plan to form a new Empire. Rey, on the other hand, anticipated her inevitable confrontation with Kylo Ren.

The Rise of Skywalker became the seventh highest-grossing movie of 2019 but was the lowest-grossing out of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Upon release, it received mixed reactions from the audience and critics. House of the Dragon actor Matt Smith recently shared about his connection to Star Wars and it’s not what fans would have expected.

Matt Smith reveals his scrapped Star Wars: The Rise of the Skywalker role

House of the Dragon actor Matt Smith appeared alongside Fabien Frankel and Tom Glynn-Carney at the New York Comic Con panel where they spoke to Josh Horowitz for Happy Sad and Confused. The actors were asked about the one film that they’re embarrassed to admit that they’ve never seen. Smith instantly said ‘Sophie’s Choice’ but then added,

I bet you’re going to hate me for this. I’ve never watched Star Wars the whole way through. I’ve never seen Return of the Jedi the whole way.

The host asked the actor if he was finally going to reveal what character he was supposed to play in Star Wars, to which he replied, ‘I can’t.’ Smith looked flustered when talking about Star Wars, the reason being his scrapped role from Star Wars: Episode IX.

According to reports by The Playlist, the actor was rumored to be a part of Star Wars: The Rise of the Skywalker, but after the movie’s release, he confirmed that he was not in it. Smith had shared on the Happy Sad and Confused podcast,

I didn’t shoot any scenes. We were close to me being in it, and then it never quite happened. I think the thing they were thinking of me for, eventually became obsolete, and they didn’t need it, so I never got to be in ‘Star Wars.’

The actor further clarified that he could not possibly say what character he was going to play when asked if he was Palpatine’s son. He, however, added that his character was a pretty groovy thing; it was a big thing, and it was a big story detail, a transformative Star Wars story detail, and noted that it never got quite over the line.

When asked if he’d ever get a chance to be in a Star Wars movie or TV series, the actor replied coyly, ‘Maybe I can come back; you never know.’ He clarified that there was no costume but only a couple of meetings to talk about it. The movie grossed over $1 billion at the box office upon release (via BoxOffice Mojo)

Matt Smith talks about House of the Dragon Season 3

During the panel discussion, Josh Horowitz asked the actors if there had been any scripts for House of the Dragon Season 3. Tom Glynn-Carney, who plays Aegon II Targaryen on the show, said that there has been nothing before, adding that the longer the authorities take, the longer they don’t have to read anything for a while. Matt Smith also added (via Variety)

I don’t know about you guys. I’ve not heard a thing. Have you?

Fabien Frankel noted that he had heard things that he possibly couldn’t share at the time. Matt Smith noted that his years of work playing Doctor Who has prepared him well enough to stay mum about the plot details before they emerge on air.

As much as the fans are excited about House of the Dragon Season 3, they cannot ignore that George R. R. Martin criticized some of the creative decisions taken in the second season. But HBO came in support of showrunner Ryan Condal, stating (via Deadline)

Commonly, when adapting a book for the screen, with its own format and limitations, the showrunner ultimately is required to make difficult choices about the characters and stories the audience will follow.

The spokesperson at HBO concluded that they believe Ryan Condal and his team did an extraordinary job and the millions of fans the series has amassed over the first two seasons will continue to enjoy it. House of the Dragon is going to end after Season 4.

House of the Dragon is streaming on HBO.