Kieran Hayler has called Matt Smith “mean” after he reportedly had him “edited out” of a drama they were both cast in.
The 37-year-old former stripper and ex-husband of glamour model Katie Price signed up with an extras agency earlier this year and was cast in six-part Sky Atlantic series The Death of Bunny Munro starring BAFTA and Emmy-nominated Smith, 41, as the titular character.
Despite his role only being brief, former The Crown and Doctor Who star was said to be “embarrassed” to be on screen with Hayler.
Opening up to The Sun about the situation, Hayler said: 'I'm not embarrassed, I'm more hurt somebody like that would say something when they don't even know me.
“For him to say what he has apparently said... It doesn't give much hope to young actors. I'm probably in 0.5 seconds of a scene with him.”
“For me, it's like, f****** hell! It's like bullying. It's mean.”
Hayler - who shares son Jett, 10, and nine-year-old daughter Bunny with ex Price - went on to tell the publication that he thinks “everyone should support each other” within the industry.
The Standard has contacted a representative for Matt Smith for comment.
A Sky spokesperson told the Standard: “This is categorically untrue. Matt Smith has not requested Kieran be removed from the series.”
The premise of Bunny Munro follows a sex addict who meets women through his job as a travelling beauty products salesman following the death of his wife to suicide.
In addition to starring, Smith will also executive produce the adaptation of Nick Cave’s 2019 darkly comic novel The Death of Bunny Munro, which is being written by BAFTA winner Pete Jackson (Somewhere Boy) and produced by Clerkenwell Films in association with Sky Studios.
Speaking about his involvement in a press release, Smith said: “To work alongside Nick Cave on The Death of Bunny Munro feels like a great honour. It’s a brilliant exploration of love, grief, and chaos. At its heart a deep, difficult, and tender story about a father and son, coping with loss and change.
“Clerkenwell Films and Sky feels like the perfect home to make such a bold story and Pete has delivered such wonderful scripts, both funny and heart breaking in equal measure. I can’t wait to collaborate with Isabella and begin the journey with everyone at Clerkenwell.”
