Matt Smith’s role from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was cut, and almost two years on from release, he spoke to Happy Sad Confused podcast about the role, explaining “it was like a big shift in the history of the franchise.”
“No, I didn’t [shoot any scenes,]” Smith said. “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 it became obsolete and they didn’t need it, and so, I never got to be in ‘Star Wars,’ there we are.”
Smith said he “could not possibly say” whether the role was Palpatine’s son, but it’s this tease that is getting the “Star Wars” fandom worked up: “But it was a pretty groovy thing, it was a really groovy part and concept. It was a big thing, it was a big story detail, a transformative ‘Star Wars’ story detail and it never got quite over the line.”
“I mean it was like a big [makes a redacted sound] shift in the history of the franchise,” Smith added. “There was no costume [test] and there were a couple of meetings to talk about it. Maybe I can come back, you never know. To come back as… [the phone starts to cuts out]. Sorry, my friend.”
Smith can currently be seen in theaters in Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho, watch his interview here.
