Bill Nighy Turned Down Lead in "Doctor Who"!

Since before the reboot, many “Doctor Who” fans believed Bill Nighy would be perfect for the role of the centuries old Time Lord.  There were even rumors that he had been offered the role and turned it down.  But there was never proof.  Now there is!  In an interview with The People, Nighy had this to say:

I was offered the role once, I won’t tell you when because the rule is that you’re not allowed to say you turned that job down because it’s disrespectful to whoever did it. I will say that I was approached.

But I didn’t want to be the Doctor. No disrespect to Doctor Who or anything. I just think that it comes with too much baggage.

The “two much baggage” comment is believed to be a reference to the intense media scrutiny stars of “Doctor Who” endure.  It’s not surprising that an intensely private man like Nighy would not welcome this.