Matt Smith has regenerated once again, this time into Game of Thrones star Tobias Menzies in The Crown.
Netflix just released (August 28) the first photo of Tobias as Prince Philip — the role played by Matt in the first two seasons of its royal epic — with a one-word caption: “Ambition.”
Ambition. pic.twitter.com/u2AVWK1u5c
— The Crown (@TheCrownNetflix) August 28, 2018
Previously released photos from the set have all had similarly brief descriptions: The first picture of Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II was captioned “patience,” while the one of Helena Bonham Carter as her sister Princess Margaret was accompanied by the word “hope”. And the recent shot of Ben Daniels as her husband Anthony Armstrong Jones was labelled simply “hurt.”
So it’s intriguing that Philip’s should be “ambition.” In season two, we saw him being elevated to princely status by the Queen; what more can he hope for as the 1960s and 1970s roll around?
Philip certainly looks older and more stately as he enters his fifth decade by the side of his wife the Queen. The medals are also stacking up, as he gains further titles and honors.
We did get another clue from Matt Smith, who recently offered Tobias some tongue-in-cheek advice about playing the Duke of Edinburgh. He suggested reading a particular book about the Prince’s earlier life — which means we’ve all got some homework to do.
As of now, we’re still waiting on one-word introductions to the show’s new characters, including Prince Charles, who’ll be played by God’s Own Country star Josh O’Connor; Princess Anne, played by Call the Midwife‘s Erin Doherty; and the Queen Mother, (Marion Bailey), not to mention Prime Minister Harold Wilson, portrayed by Jason Watkins (Taboo).
Are you intrigued by this photo?