In a revelation that shocks us to our core, David Tennant has recently shared that he almost turned down the role of Doctor Who following some advice from his then agent.
Tennant, 53, replaced Christopher Eccleston in the second season of the revamped Doctor Who back in 2005. He then went on to lead the show for a memorable three seasons before departing in 2010.
But he very nearly turned down the part as he revealed in the most recent episode of David Tennant Does a Podcast with…
Interviewed by his wife, Georgia, the Jessica Jones star said he’d taken a couple of days to decide if he wanted to do it. He then said “there was definitely a moment where I wasn’t” going to accept the role.
“About 48 hours after they asked me,” Tennant explained, “I had to go process everything that it meant.” He then went on: “I had an agent at the time who was like, ‘Don’t touch it. It’s not going to work’.”
He also clarified that it was not his current agent but “a previous brilliant agent who’s since retired”, admitting that “she didn’t call that correctly.”
The Scottish actor also said the level of fame brought by Doctor Who took “a bit of getting used to.” He continued: “Suddenly you’ve got to establish what the rules are for yourself. And there’s not really anyone to help you or teach you. And that can be a little bit challenging.
Tennant found people approaching his parents “really difficult” because “I felt like I had to protect them.” The exposure and lack of control in some regards was “panic inducing” and left the actor feeling very “vulnerable.” What helped, Tennant said, was having the “battle hardened” Billie Piper with him.
Of course, Tennant enjoyed a wonderful and widely celebrated tenure as the Doctor. And in 2023 he returned to the role as the fourteenth iteration of the iconic character before handing over to Ncuti Gatwa who is currently in the role.
The second season of Doctor Who will debut on Saturday (12 April). It will see Gatwa joined by Emmerdale‘s Max Parker, among others, as they face up against large robots.
Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. David Tennant Does a Podcast With… is available to stream.
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