With the premiere of its first season last Nov. 4, Matt Smith who plays the role of Prince Philip expressed how much he admires the Duke of Edinburgh after playing as Philip in Netflix royal drama series "The Crown."
A Peter Morgan creation, "Doctor Who" actor admits how challenging it was for him to play the role of Queen Elizabeth's forever love. In a report from Variety, Smith did some very relevant research to capture the royal highnesses character. Smith sympathized with Prince Philip's predicament - given what he learned about his painful backstory.
Given the difference of his most recognized role as a doctor to "Doctor Who," Smith pursued the role out of his interest in Prince Philip journey to Queen Elizabeth´s love. Owing to the fact that the royal highness gave up his Greek and Danish roots and went through the trouble of adopting his mother´s British surname. Even converting his religious beliefs from Greek Orthodoxy to Anglicanism, all in the name of love.
Bustle noted that Smith´s original plan after his role in "Doctor Who"¨ is to pursue professional soccer. But the ball was not kicked in his direction, the 34-year old actor contracted an injury causing him to turn to acting for "The Crown."
Prince Philip has the kind of character a woman like the Queen of England would need. And that it is no surprise that his chemistry with Queen Elizabeth played by Claire Foy is one of the most admirable royal love story of all time.
In comparison to his role as Prince Philip and his previous role as a time-traveling protagonist in "Doctor Who," both characters are with the maverick in them. Despite the difficulty of being a public figure, both characters dared to challenge the stereotypical reserved, proper Englishman. Prince Philip´s reputation of making witty remarks only proves how independent-minded he is and is comfortable at his core.