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.
June 8, 2012 at 1:03 am
It gives me a great big sad that he turned this down. I totally would’ve traded Tennant for Nighy. 😦
June 8, 2012 at 3:51 am
He would have been good. Not sure he would have been better than Tennant though.
June 8, 2012 at 3:56 am
I know I’m in the minority in this, but Tennant is far from my favourite Doctor.
June 8, 2012 at 10:16 am
That’s the great thing about “Doctor Who”. If you don’t like one Doctor, there’s a bunch more to choose from. And even the most popular Doctors have their detractors. And the least popular have their diehard fans.
July 22, 2013 at 12:04 pm
You beautiful human being! You are not alone. I am one of the few people who actually likes Chris Eccleston over Tennant. And the fact that Nighy, my favourite actor of all time, had the role and turned it down is heart wrenching. But you gotta respect the man’s wishes.
Sorry for bringing this back after a year; couldn’t resist!
July 22, 2013 at 8:19 pm
Don’t apologize for bringing a year old post back to life. We love that!
We’ve had all quality Doctors since the reboot. Eccleston, Tennant and Smith all brought the goods. You’d be justified in picking anyone of them as a favorite. Let’s hope that 12 is just as impressive.
June 11, 2012 at 2:32 pm
Reblogged this on Musings of an Anglophile.
September 18, 2013 at 1:12 pm
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