Smith — already something of a British icon thanks to stints as the Doctor on Doctor Who and Prince Philip on The Crown — stars alongside Anya Taylor-Joy and Thomasin McKenzie in Edgar Wright’s time-twisting psychological horror Last Night in Soho, set and shot in the famed central London neighborhood. Smith stars as a handsome saviour turned abusive pimp to Taylor-Joy’s aspiring singer in the swinging London of the late ’60s.
How did it feel to make a film about Soho, somewhere I’m sure you’ve spent quite a bit of time?
Having lived in London for 10 years, it felt like a love letter. It’s home. It made me really proud of London — it’s got such flair and such great sense of style. [Wright has] really made it look amazing in the ’60s.
Did you also get a sense that we might not see Soho like this again as it battles development and gentrification?
It’s awful. It really depresses me. Even now I see too many yogurt shops there. Who the fuck goes to yogurt shops? Haven’t we got better things to do that go to yogurt shops? I mean, I say that and I go to pubs and they probably think: Who the fuck goes to pubs?
With Jodie Whittaker leaving, who do you think should play the next Doctor Who?
You know who I think would be a brilliant Doctor Who … Rhys Ifans. Rhys would be sort of cool. I don’t know if we’ve had a Welshman yet. I’m backing Rhys!
This story first appeared in The Hollywood Reporter’s Sept. 10 daily issue at the Toronto International Film Festival.
