The rising star spoke to the ECHO about continuing his family’s legacy as a boxer and his newfound love for acting with his role in Time season three
Paul Smith Jnr spoke to the ECHO in an exclusive interview about his life as a boxer and an actor(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
He may hail from Liverpool’s most famous boxing family, but Paul Smith Jr’s dad never wanted him to follow in his footsteps in the ring. The sweet science is one of the toughest sports to dedicate your life to and the retired fighter couldn’t see why his own son would want to get punched in the face for a living when he doesn’t have to.
But history shows us you can’t keep a Smith away from boxing for too long and the 20-year-old is continuing the family tradition, as he hopes to turn professional next year. However, Paul’s dad will be relieved to know his son has another string to his bow as he has shown himself to be an incredibly talented actor in Time season three.
Paul has won acclaim for his role as Toby in Jimmy McGovern’s prison drama, which airs its final episode tonight. The ECHO met the rising star in the Dock acting studio this week as he explained he never envisioned the possibility of a career in front of the camera.
It was only when fellow actor, and Rotunda ABC boxer, Paddy Rowan, told him about open auditions for the BBC show when the trajectory of his life changed forever. He said: “I remember pushing back on the idea because boxing was my identity.
“I was thinking, ‘I box and I want to box’.” But Paddy encouraged him to give it a go as the auditions were being ran by casting director, Amy Hubbard, who gave the Betrayal star his first start in Little Boy Blue, the drama which also starred Paul’s dad.
This connection gave Paul the push to put himself forward and he soon realised he had unlocked a new passion. He said: “Before the first self tape came around, I only really liked boxing. I’m so passionate and obsessed with boxing that nothing could compare. But when acting came around, I’d never had something I’d really enjoyed just as much as boxing. Now I’ve got acting and I’m really lucky.
Paul Smith Junior discovered a love for acting during the audition process for Time season 3(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
“I’ve not taken a step back from boxing because I think I’m performing at the best I ever have now. But [the acting] has helped separate it from my identity and now I’m not just a boxer.”
Even though he didn’t have any acting experience, Paul was a natural fit for Jimmy’s creation as he subscribed to the legendary writer’s same empathetic world view of being your character’s best defence barrister.
He said: “I really enjoyed putting myself in someone else’s shoes. I’m quite an empath and I can see how people could justify anything, even people who do these crazy things that seem out of the ordinary.
“[In the show] Toby has stabbed someone and went to jail, but why? He’s just a young and vulnerable kid who probably hasn’t had much help in direction or where to go in life. And I think there’s a lot of young kids like that. They’re not bad kids at all, they’re just unfortunate to get in the wrong situations.”
Paul Smith Jnr as Toby in Time season three
It’s this understanding of the character that Paul brought to the role and he is proud to have been in a critically acclaimed show with acting royalty like David Tennant and Siobhan Finneran. He said: “The response to Time season three has been phenomenal and my Instagram and TikTok messages have blew up off it, so I’m kind of overwhelmed.
“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. On one of the last days, he wrote a little letter for me and the lads and dropped a little handwritten letter in each one our trailers with a lovely message.”
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Paul’s thuggish onscreen counterpart is world’s apart from his real life persona and he said the greatest compliment has been his ability to turn his own friends and family against Toby. He said: “I didn’t want people to just think Toby’s a little bit angry.
“I wanted people to hate me and that is good. It’s a tough watch for me and I watched it all from behind the scenes. I don’t want people seeing me. I want people seeing past me and seeing my character.”
Paul Smith Jnr is world’s apart from his onscreen counterpart Toby in Time (Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
It’s not a surprise Toby has elicited this response as the character is part of some of the most brutal scenes in the searing drama, which takes an unflinching look at the reality of life in a young offender’s institution. Although the environment on screen was hostile, the atmosphere on set couldn’t have been more different as Paul has made friends for life with his co-stars – and even recently moved in with Finn Kearns and Ollie McNulty.
He said: “They’re all genuinely my best friends and hopefully best friends for life now. Every single lad is a diamond. Performance aside, and how good they are [in the show], they’re even better people.”
Away from the screen, Paul’s laid back persona is the polar opposite of Toby, but he credits the same switch that makes him such a good boxer with why he was able to authentically capture his character’s rage.
He said: “My dad would say I’m the most chilled and laid back person you could meet. I genuinely don’t get into bother and nothing gets me riled up. I think that’s a good way and [being able to control my emotion is] from boxing.
“But [when you’re in the boxing ring] you’ve got to switch it on. You’ve got to turn it on because you’ve got a kid in the other corner trying to take your head off so you’ve got to be ready for that.
“You’ve got to go to a place to be ready to go to war with someone so I’ve got a really good switch from boxing that I’ve carried over into the acting.”
Boxing has unexpectedly proven to be the ideal training for Paul’s acting as it also encourages him to take an analytical approach to another person’s mindset. He said: “I like to think how people think. Some kids might be more of a defensive fighter, others more offensive. So I need to know ‘How do you think and how can I outthink you?’
“It is so transferrable because boxing is 100% mental. You’ve got to push yourself to a place that’s uncomfortable to get fit. You’ve got to push yourself to endure a run, or carry on in a fight.”
It’s the life skills you take from boxing why Paul’s dad eventually started taking him to the gym to learn the family trade after he showed the same innate love for the sport that runs in their blood.
Boxer Paul Smith with son Paul Jnr just after he was born in 2006(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
He said: “[As a kid] I always used to hang pillows up by dressing gown robes on the bannister of the stairs and start going for them because I idolised my dad and he’s my absolute hero.
“He wanted me to go for the training, so I could handle myself and what boxing teaches you as a person. It teaches you manners and discipline and lets you know that you can depend on yourself.”
He added; “Because he doesn’t want me to box, my dad has always been so helpful so he has never been on my back. I asked my dad for advice and he said, ‘Don’t cheat yourself, don’t cut corners.’ Boxing helps you to be able to depend on yourself, but if you cheat and cut corners you’re not staying true to yourself.”
But Paul is rising through the amateurs in the same way the rest of his family did and wants to turn professional, even if his dad would rather him reconsider. He laughed: “I could tell he doesn’t want me to fight because his nerves are gone whenever I fight.”
The retired fighter is particularly proud with his son’s onscreen bow and hopes the less dangerous acting bug may even one day overtake the love of boxing for him.
Paul Smith Jnr enjoys a strong bond with his dad and described him as his hero(Image: LIVERPOOL ECHO)
But Paul doesn’t think he needs to make his mind up just yet as he has the privilege of choice as he looks forward to the next chapter.
He said: “I’ve had countless people say, ‘Boxing or acting?’ but I don’t think I will have to choose. I think I can make them work. It’ll take a lot of sacrifice and hard work, but I put that into anything I do anyway.
“I think I’ll have to choose small individual things like a fight or a role. It’s whatever suits me and, I’ll tell you what, there’s worse problems to have.”
The final episode of Time season three is broadcast on BBC One tonight. All three episodes are available to watch on iPlayer