Matt Smith looks unrecognisable as cult leader Charles Manson in new crime-biopic

He’s come a long way from Doctor Who

Before he was cast in Doctor Who, Matt Smith was virtually unknown. But playing the Eleventh Doctor granted him international fame. He then went on to play a young Prince Phillip in Netflix’s The Crown, as well Hollywood movies like Terminator Genysis. He has even been cast in a super-secret role in Star Wars Episode IX. But the next time we see him on screen, he’ll be doing his best to throw off any stereotypes we have of him as a stuffy English gent. He is playing Charles Manson, the infamous cult leader, who’s followers murdered nine people in 1969, in the new biopic Charlie Says. And he looks pretty different in the role. The film debuted at the Venice Film Festival, with The Guardian calling Smith's performance "magnetic",  even if they didn't rate the film as a whole that much. Charlie Says also stars model Suki Waterhouse, and Hannah Murray from Skins and Game of Thrones. Manson was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the deaths of seven people in 1971, and originally given the death penalty, but it was commuted to a life sentence, and he died in prison late last year. It is not the only Manson film on the way either - Australian actor Damon Herriman will be playing him in Quintin Tarantino's upcoming Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.