Matt Smith’s last project before Doctor Who was the gripping sci-fi movie Womb, and it proved he was destined to become a major star. Matt Smith is renowned for playing the Eleventh Doctor in many of the best feel-good episodes of Doctor Who, and is famously remembered for his bow tie and tweed jacket attire.

In the lead-up to Matt Smith’s latest movie, Caught Stealing, which is due to release on August 29, many are refamiliarizing themselves with the British actor’s past projects. Other than Doctor Who, Smith has had prominent roles in titles like The Crown and House of the Dragon, but his underrated 2010 movie Womb is one of his very best.

Matt Smith Plays A Clone In The Sci-Fi Drama Womb

In Womb, one of Matt Smith’s best movies, the actor portrays Tommy, a political activist who reunites with his childhood friend Rebecca (Eva Green) shortly before his untimely death. A heartbroken Rebecca, horrified at the thought of a life without her true love, uses the biotech organization that Tommy had been protesting against to clone him.

Much to the confusion of Tommy’s family, Rebecca gives birth to Tommy and raises him as her own child, feeding him tales of his “father,” unbeknownst to him that he is in fact his own dead parent. This storyline is rather eerie and borders on unsettling for some, but Womb’s narrative is powerful and intriguing nonetheless.

It’s fascinating to see him play both characters, even if they’re technically the same. The uncomfortable romance that develops between Rebecca and her supposed son later on is weird, granted, but Smith does a brilliant job of gripping audiences from the get-go.

Despite Womb’s Rotten Tomatoes Rating, The Movie Proves The Actor Was Always Going To Be A Huge Success

Womb was released the same year as Matt Smith’s debut as the Eleventh incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who and was the last project he starred in before the world knew him as the youngest actor to ever play the iconic Time Lord. Womb’s Rotten Tomatoes ratings are rather low, even for an indie movie, which I think is strange.

Although Womb isn’t for everyone, I think Smith’s performance in it proves he was destined for stardom. He’s only in his mid-twenties, yet he steals the scene every time he appears. Smith’s rapport with Penny Dreadful’s Eva Green is solid, but he is the true gem in Womb. The cinematography throughout is fantastic, and this makes Smith’s portrayal even more enjoyable.

Throughout the movie, there’s an unusual atmosphere, and audiences wait in anticipation to see whether Tommy ever discovers the truth about his origins. Some of Smith’s best scenes in Womb involve tense interactions between Tommy and Rebecca, especially when Tommy starts to bring girls back home and his mother/lover grows jealous.

While there are several TV and film franchises that feature clones, Womb is unique because, even though this detail is relevant to the story, the main focus is on the context of Rebecca and Tommy’s strange relationship. Matt Smith is absolutely astounding in Womb, and if you haven’t seen it yet, you should check it out.

• 

  Birthdate

  
  October 28, 1982
  

  Birthplace

  Northampton, Northamptonshire, England

  Height

  6 feet 0 inches

  Professions

  Actor, Director

  
  

• 
  

  

  
  Womb
  

  
  

  Release Date

  July 15, 2010
  

  Runtime

  111 minutes

  Director

  Benedek Fliegauf