River in Christmas Special: The Matt Smith edition
(…as told by Alex Kingston :P)
“I’m actually going to share something with you guys that I haven’t shared with anybody, but of course you’re all filming it, it’s all going on youtube, so I have to be very careful.
I didn’t tell anybody because I knew it wouldn’t go down well with Matt. He had literally made Steven Moffat promise that he wouldn’t write for my character again because River was his Doctor’s wife, and not anybody else’s. The thing is that Matt is a really passionate and sentimental person. He really carries his emotions, and his emotions are absolutely genuine. Such a nice man. But I think it was a much bigger deal for him to play the part of the Doctor, and I think it sort of changed his life. And I came in, and I was working with him on his very first episode, and was sort of effectively there holding his and Karen’s hand.
On a psychological level, I was there to protect them, and I remember, I took them out for supper while we were filming that first episode. I sat them down and said ‘Enjoy this now, because after this your lives are going to change forever, and you won’t be able to enjoy this freedom ever again, and just be the people you’re right now.’
They were like, ‘Oh it’s not going to be like that for us.”
And of course it was, and it is.
And Matt - he is so sweet. He sort of really holds on to that. Remembers that I was concerned for them, and wanting to really guide them through. So I think that’s why he is possessive. It’s not anything other than - he feels like mine was the special relationship and nobody else is allowed to have that.
So I didn’t tell him. I didn’t tell anybody - I swore to secrecy. And then I got married in summer - Karen couldn’t make it, but Matt and Arthur were there. And my goddamn daughter went and told him!
It was like 4 AM, and we were all completely smashed, and he came up to me, and put his arm around me. I thought he was just going to give me a nice hug, say ‘Congratulations on being married’. He’s like [mimicking a very cross Matt] ‘Are you doing Doctor Who again?’
And I said, ‘Well, yes, I am’
‘You’re not allowed to do Doctor Who again. I’m your Doctor, nobody else is allowed to be this. ME.’ He was cross. I had to say it to him, ‘Look, get me another job, but I am still going to do this one. It’s alright for you - you go be the Terminator, but I’m still stuck here!’
And I went up to Steven to ask him ‘Did Matt tell you not to ever write my character again?’
So it’s absolutely true! But the truth is, they’re one and the same man! And that’s what I keep saying to Matt. ‘You are the same person, just with a different skin. I’m not being in any way disloyal. In fact, I’m being more loyal than ever!’
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