Matt Smith Reveals The Evolution of His ‘Doctor Who’ Costume

Almost as exciting as the actor themselves, the outfits any new actor wears on Doctor Who can excite fans, knowing that character will be cosplayed for years. Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor is famous for his bow tie, which the actor revealed at Fan Expo Canada was a last-minute addition that writer Steven Moffat almost nixed.

As reported by Space, Smith recalled, “I tried so many costumes on and at first he was quite pirate-y—he was in stripes and like a long coat and he looked a bit like Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean. Once we got the whole costume on, it felt like something was missing and I was like, ‘Can I try a bow tie on?’ and Steven Moffat was like ‘No, you can’t wear a bow tie’ but I tried it on and suddenly it sort of lifted the whole outfit.”

This wasn’t the only personal flourish Smith brought to the part, with the rest of his ensemble being inspired by what he chose to wear to his initial audition.

“For the first meeting, I went in a tweed blazer, which is why he wears a tweed blazer,” he revealed. “I thought, ‘Well, he’s old, so I’ve got to make him feel kind of professorial.’”

While bringing his own personal style to the character was rewarding, it had an unexpected drawback.

Smith added, “I had a tweed blazer which I loved and which, obviously, I can never wear again. I was really annoyed at the time because I thought I looked really cool in it.”

The Doctor Who Christmas Special will air on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 2017.

[h/t: Space]