It's true, Matt Smith's postdoc managed to break a 60-year trend

Matt Smith broke the 60-year Doctor Who trend with his success as the Time Lord, and will likely continue with Ncuti Gatwa.

Matt Smith's success has been growing since his tenure on Doctor Who, bucking a 60-year weird trend. Matt Smith succeeded David Tennant as the Eleventh Doctor in 2009, and first appeared in Doctor Who season 5, episode 1, "The Eleventh Hour" in 2010. Matt Smith's Doctor Who proved popular, as he continued to mix and develop the light-hearted Time Lord with darker, poignant notes, and a host of new villains emerged to fight him.

Doctor Who is a British television classic that has achieved worldwide success and a huge following. Even before Christopher Eccleston revived Doctor Who, Doctor Who had decades of beloved episodes that are still being watched and discussed in modern times. Doctor Who's success was passed down to actors who became veritable Time Lords, famous for their time on the TARDIS. Still, the roles they played after Doctor Who never seemed to be able to match or beat playing the Doctor.

Matt Smith's Success Beats Other Doctor Who Actors

Doctor Who actors have always had a smooth sailing after leaving the BBC television show, but such success has traditionally been limited to British television. Matt Smith has been able to buck that trend by building a Hollywood career, Has credits in Morbius, Last Night in Soho, and Terminator Genisys. Most notably, however, Smith's role as Patronus Targaryen in House of the Dragon became one of 2022's most iconic TV characters. Matt Smith may still be best known for playing the Eleventh Doctor, but unlike his TARDIS predecessors, he has unquestionably broken into Hollywood and has landed roles of equal stature since his departure, right or greater than The Doctor .

The Fifth Doctor, Peter Davidson, found success on British television with his performances in Little Things and Gentleman Jack, while Sixth Doctor actor Colin Baker went on to star in low-budget science fiction projects such as Airspace Solutions. Like their predecessors, neither has reached the global level. Sylvester McCoy enjoyed high-profile roles in The Hobbit films, but long after the Seventh Doctor left Doctor Who, even David Tennant's success was still overshadowed by Doctor Who, Good Omens and Jay Sika Jones is his most outstanding project since Rebirth. With House of the Dragon, Matt Smith took his career to a level that no other ex-Dr.

Why Ncuti Gatwa Can Follow In Matt Smith's Footsteps

After the rebirth of the Thirteenth Doctor played by Jodie Whittaker, the familiar Fourteenth Doctor will appear in Doctor Who's 60th Anniversary Special. Unlike some of the doctors before him, Gatwa has attracted a global audience thanks to his portrayal of Eric on Netflix's Sex Education. That means he could easily follow in the footsteps of Matt Smith's post-Doctor Who success. The Fifteenth Doctor actor also started his Hollywood career with a role in Barbie, so it's reasonable to assume that after eventually leaving Doctor Who, Ncuti Gatwa will be able to emulate the kind that Matt Smith has acquired. success.

Like Smith, Gatwa joined Doctor Who at a relatively young age, but he already had more notable acting credits, creating a built-in edge. What's more, Gatwa's "Doctor Who" will have more reach as it airs on Disney+ and isn't limited to a delayed international release outside the UK. With anticipation for Doctor Who's 60th anniversary episode already exciting Gatwa's takeover, and with fan-favorite actors likely to return, Doctor Who's future will only increase its global following. Gatwa at the helm should allow him to follow in Matt Smith's footsteps and find success in Doctor Who post-Doctor Who.