Paul Smith Jnr, who played Toby in the third season of the BBC's Time, has revealed that David Tennant gave handwritten letters to the young cast members on the final day of filming. The 20-year-old actor spoke to the ECHO about his experience working with the Doctor Who star on the prison drama.
Tennant's Kind Gesture on Set
Smith Jnr praised Tennant, 55, for his humility and generosity during the production. "David Tennant was one of the nicest people I've ever met in my life. He was so humble, had the time of day for anyone and gave great advice," he said.
The actor added that Tennant wrote a personal note for each of the young cast members and left it in their trailers. "He wrote a little letter for me and the lads and dropped a little handwritten letter in each one of the lad's trailers with a lovely message," Smith Jnr explained.
First Acting Role for Boxer
The role in Time was Smith Jnr's first acting job, as he had previously focused on a boxing career like his father. He decided to audition after fellow actor Paddy Rowan told him about open auditions for the show.
Smith Jnr described the experience of acting alongside Tennant and Siobhan Finneran as surreal. "I'd never acted in my life and I'm thinking, 'What am I doing here?' You could very easily go down an imposter syndrome route," he said.
Friendships Formed During Filming
The young actor said being surrounded by others at the start of their careers helped him settle in. "Knowing I wasn't the only one in that boat really helped. So we all bounced off each other in a good way," he noted.
Smith Jnr has since moved in with co-stars Finn Kearns and Ollie McNulty, describing them as "genuinely my best friends and hopefully best friends for life now." He added, "Every single lad is a diamond."
Creator on the Series' Future
The third season of Jimmy McGovern's anthology series focused on a young offenders' institute and aired its final episode last night. McGovern told the Radio Times he believes this will be the last Time, though he has said this before. He told the ECHO that tackling the situation inside a young offenders institution was important, calling it "an eye-opener, it really was."
