It’s hard to imagine Doctor Who without David Tennant, as the Scottish actor’s portrayal of the Tenth Doctor remains – and likely always will – one of the most popular versions of the Time Lord ever. The Jessica Jones star has revealed, however, that he almost turned the part down when he was first offered it.
While speaking at a C2E2 spotlight panel, Tennant recalled that his relationship with the show started with his leading role in the BBC’s Casanova, which was made by the same production team as Doctor Who. As a Whovian since childhood, Tennant hoped that he might find himself a part on the show.
“Maybe they’ll give me a nice guest spot, maybe even recurring,” the actor remembers thinking. He even pushed to get himself hired but was given the brush-off. He later discovered that that was because they wanted him to replace Christopher Eccleston in the lead. Showrunner Russell T. Davies finally offered him the job while showing Tennant some early cuts of the 2005 season. “I think it was on a VHS, that’s how long ago it was!” he said.
You might think he would have agreed on the spot, but actually, Tennant wasn’t sure for a couple of reasons. Firstly, there was the huge boost in fame that would go with playing the Doctor and secondly, he was concerned about the pressure of portraying a character he idolized.
“For a couple of days, I turned it down,” Tennant continued. “It just didn’t feel right. But then I thought, who are you kidding?” the actor revealed with a laugh, before explaining that it was the thought of having to watch a different person play the part knowing he’d refused it that convinced him.
Let’s thank Gallifrey he changed his mind. Doctor Who went onto enjoy a terrific run over the Tennant era, which lasted until he handed over the TARDIS keys to Matt Smith in 2010. Plus, it put him on the map as one of Britain’s best leading stars and set him down a very successful career path.
