Doctor Who’s Ncuti Gatwa Reveals His Preparation For Fifteenth Doctor
Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa has revealed how he prepared for his prestigious upcoming role as the Fifteenth Doctor. In September, Gatwa was unveiled as Jodie Whittaker’s successor, though this has since been upended in a shock turn of events as her Thirteenth Doctor regenerated into David Tennant instead. Gatwa has since been officially confirmed as the Fifteenth Doctor rather than the previously presumed Fourteenth, and will be taking over from Tennant at the end of 2023. Former showrunner Russel T. Davies will also be making a comeback, beginning with the show’s three-episode 60th anniversary in November next year.
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Gatwa recently appeared for an interview in The List, having secured the top spot on their list of 100 most important cultural contributors in Scotland in 2022. He spoke about his career up to now, including his breakout role as Eric Effiong on Sex Education, as well as his upcoming role in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie alongside stars including Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie. Having accepted TV’s most iconic role, Gatwa seems poised to shoot into stardom himself, but he remains grounded, being sure to “take the work seriously but not [myself] seriously.” Read what he said below:
But it’s a true honor. This role is an institution. It means a lot to so many people, including myself. It makes everyone feel seen as well.
Prepping for the role of the Doctor and watching all the episodes again and watching Russel T. Davies and David [Tennant]’s work. I was overcome with the need to get the job! I was like “I want to work with Russel.” His writing is so clever. I just feel very honored that he saw something in me that he likes. He’s going to take me to the universe, around all the stars and galaxies.
It’s just about learning to be really grateful. And also to take the work seriously but not yourself seriously. It’s an amazing job that we get to do, but it is just a job. I’m slowly learning how to take it in my stride.
What Can We Expect From The Fifteenth Doctor?
Gatwa has done his homework, revisiting Davies’ episodes to reacquaint himself with his writing style as well as what previous Doctors brought to the table, including Tennant, who will be his predecessor. He is clearly treating the role with the care and respect it deserves, and evidently is already a Doctor Who, fan which will help him bring the passion and zeal that the show so often demands. Gatwa will also make history by being the first black man and second black actor to step into the TARDIS which emphasizes the importance of his casting.
Davies has previously written for two other Doctors, Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor and Tennant’s Tenth, both of whom are similar in many ways. Both were joyous, fun-loving Time Lords who did a lot of running, and both had darker sides that sometimes revealed themselves in high-stakes situations. Of course, both of these incarnations were dealing with the fallout and extreme guilt of the Time War, which has been resolved as of the show’s 50th anniversary and will no longer factor into the Doctor’s psyche. At the same time, Davies is renowned for his layered characters and so just like Nine and Ten, we may see a Doctor that can be ruthless and vengeful at times.
Gatwa himself is an energetic, high-spirited person, and Davies tends to let an actor’s personality and interpretation direct the Doctor’s own personality. It will be interesting to see whether the resolution of the Time War storyline will result in a more playful, light-hearted Doctor. The Time War, and the reintroduction of the Daleks as the show’s ultimate foe, were devices that Davies utilized to explore the darker facets of the Doctor’s personality, so it’s plausible that he could create a similar event for the same purpose. In fact, as of Doctor Who series 12, episode 2, “Spyfall, Part Two”, Gallifrey is once again seemingly destroyed along with the Time Lords. Time will tell whether Davies will opt to retcon this plot direction, or perhaps use it akin to the Time War going forward, and how Gatwa will choose to play the character.
Source: The List
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