Matt Smith swaps the Tardis and the Palace for a haunted flat in new movie, His House
Dr Who and The Crown star Matt has moved to somewhere a bit more down-to-earth in a new horror movie being filmed in Basildon, Essex - where he plays a 'strange' landlord
MATT SMITH knows all about acting out a part in a world that’s a million miles from normal folk’s reality.
And he was also in Doctor Who . . . But The Crown star’s new role has taken him somewhere a bit different from Buckingham Palace and the Tardis — an Essex vaping shop.
I can reveal that Matt, who's dating Lily James, has the lead role in His House, a new horror movie in which he plays a landlord who is struggling with his past and has a background in the supernatural.
He rents out his flat, which is haunted by some sort of evil force, and all hell breaks loose.
On Wednesday, my eagle-eyed spies saw Matt filming at the flat, in Basildon, Essex, as well as at the nearby vaping shop, a bookies and the local shopping centre.
In the movie, which is being made by BBC Films, a young refugee couple move into the flat after making a harrowing escape from war-torn Sudan.
But it later turns out they have run from one nightmare into another.
An on-set source said: “Matt’s character is described as a ‘strange landlord’.
“When the couple move in, things go pear-shaped very quickly.” The film was announced earlier this year, with rising acting duo Wunmi Mosaku and Sope Dirisu bagging roles.
It faced problems early on with a lawsuit from Harvey Weinstein’s old production company over distribution rights, just before allegations against him arose.
It was later confirmed the lawsuit would not proceed and the film could go ahead with its new team, production firm New Regency and the BBC.
This film already has enough ghouls in it — it didn’t need Harvey, too.
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HE may have missed out on playing James Bond for now, but acting juggernaut Idris Elba is certainly keeping himself busy by directing, producing AND starring in The Hunchback Of Notre Dame.
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The Hollywood hunk is going to need a pretty convincing costume to hide his good looks for the role.
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