He wanted to be a professional footballer. A back injury made him stop playing the sport. He joined the National Youth Theatre and studied Drama and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. Smith became an actor in 2003. He performed in plays like "Murder in the Cathedral", "Fresh Kills", "The History Boys" and "On the Shore of the Wide World" in London theatres. On West End, he has performed in "Swimming with Sharks" with Christian Slater, and "That Face".