What is Matt Smith’s age? Actor joins the cast of ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ as a villain alongside Ryan Gosling, Perez Hilton reacts

Podcaster Perez Hilton weighed in on the news of actor Matt Smith joining the cast of the next Star Wars film as a villain alongside Ryan Gosling. On August 6, 2025, he shared a post on X linking to Deadline’s report and captioned:

"Oh this is gonna be hot. #MattSmith #StarWars #RyanGosling."

According to the Deadline report dated August 5, 2025, sources confirmed to the outlet that Matt Smith was set to officially join Lucasfilm’s upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter in a villainous role. While sources confirmed to Deadline that Smith would be playing a villain in Starfighter, exact details of his character remained under wraps.

42-year-old Matt Smith rose to fame with the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who. He also recently wrapped the second season of HBO’s hit Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon.

Smith was chosen for the villain role after director Levy met with several actors in recent weeks. According to Deadline, the film will start shooting this fall and hit theaters on May 28, 2027. Sources say Smith is one of several villains, and The Hollywood Reporter adds that casting is still underway for a female villain, suggesting multiple enemies in the next Star Wars chapter.

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Matt Smith reflects on his abandoned Star Wars role during the Happy Sad Confused podcast

Matt Smith (Image via Getty Images)

The news of Matt Smith joining Star Wars: Starfighter wasn’t the first time the actor was linked to the franchise. Back in 2018, Variety reported that Smith was set to appear in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. It was the ninth installment in the iconic saga. However, that role never materialized, and Smith did not feature in the 2019 film.

During a 2021 episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, hosted by journalist Josh Horowitz, Matt Smith opened up about the near miss. When Horowitz asked him if he had shot scenes for the franchise, he clarified rumors about his involvement.

"No. We were close to being in it, but it never quite happened. I think the thing they were thinking of before. Eventually, the part became obsolete and they didn’t need it. So, I never got to be in Star Wars," Matt Smith responded.

Matt Smith also addressed, albeit cryptically, the speculation that he was slated to play a major character connected to the franchise’s central antagonist. When asked whether he was supposed to portray the son of Emperor Palpatine, Smith replied:

"I couldn’t possibly say."

While Matt Smith refrained from revealing specifics, he did admit the scrapped role was no small matter. He described it as a “groovy part” with a transformative storyline.

The concept, according to Smith, involved a “big thing, a big story detail” and would have marked a "big shift in the history of the franchise." However, as development progressed, the idea was dropped and never made it past early planning.

He also clarified that he never went through a costume fitting or screen test. Instead, there were only a couple of meetings to talk about it."

Despite the missed opportunity, Matt Smith left the door open for future possibilities within the Star Wars universe. With his name still unofficially in the mix, Horowitz joked that the actor retained his “Star Wars eligibility card.” Smith responded optimistically:

"Maybe I can come back, you never know."

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Ryan Gosling confirms his role in the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy

Ryan Gosling (Image via Getty Images)

Ryan Gosling officially joined the Star Wars universe with the brand-new film titled Star Wars: Starfighter. The project, backed by Disney and Lucasfilm, is being helmed by director Shawn Levy.

The announcement regarding Ryan Gosling joining the franchise was made during the Star Wars Celebration event held on April 17, 2025, in Tokyo. On stage, director Shawn Levy confirmed long-running rumors about Gosling’s involvement.

Levy explained that he had once heard speculation about Ryan Gosling being attached to the project and admitted it felt too good to be true, until it became reality.

"I had heard at one point that my movie was going to star Ryan Gosling and, believe me, that would be a dream come true for me...So today, I just wanted to tell you here in this room that that rumor is 100% true," Levy told the crowd said.

Gosling shared his excitement during the Tokyo event. The actor praised the film’s script, calling it both emotionally rich and action-packed.

"The reality is that this script is just so good. It has such a great story with great and original characters… It’s filled with so much heart and adventure, and there just really is not a more perfect filmmaker for this particular story than Shawn," Ryan Gosling said (per BBC report dated April 18, 2025)

Gosling’s connection to Star Wars ran deep. In a nostalgic moment at the event, a photo of his childhood Star Wars-themed bedsheets was shown on screen. This was the evidence of his early devotion to the saga.

Reflecting on the image, he shared that even before seeing the films, Star Wars had already shaped his imagination.

"You can see from the picture, I guess I was probably dreaming about Star Wars before I even saw the film... And it’s probably framed my idea of what a movie even was," Ryan Gosling said.

Shawn Levy later elaborated on his casting choice in a conversation with People magazine on April 22, 2025, during the opening night of Stranger Things: The First Shadow on Broadway.

Shawn Levy (Image via Getty Images)

Speaking from Nederlander Alley in New York City, Levy explained that working with Ryan Gosling elevated the film on every level. He described him as someone who brings instant value to any project.

"If you can have Ryan Gosling in anything you make, do that, because that's going to make the thing so much better and cooler," he remarked

The director also expressed his excitement about Gosling’s unique charisma blending with the Star Wars legacy. For Levy, the pairing of Gosling’s "uniquely cool ethos" with the Star Wars universe was not only refreshing but also creatively energizing. It was an element he felt had never been explored before and which made the project even more thrilling for him.

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Ryan Gosling is also preparing for another big sci-fi film, Project Hail Mary, releasing on March 20, 2026. Meanwhile, Matt Smith will star alongside Austin Butler in the Sony and Darren Aronofsky thriller Caught Stealing, set to release on August 29, 2025.

Edited by Divya Singh