'Doctor Who' star Peter Capaldi predicts that you'll enjoy the first female Time Lord
Peter Capaldi has been watching Jodie Whittaker, the 35-year-old actress who's stepping into the Tardis to take over on Doctor Who this winter.
"I saw what she’s done and she’s great. You're in really good hands. I think you’ll enjoy it," said Capaldi during a wide-ranging goodbye and tribute interview at New York Comic Con in Manhattan.
Wearing thin jeans, a black t-shirt under a sport jacket and sporting a pair of now legendary (to Doctor Who fans) Ray Bans sunglasses, Capaldi sat on the stage inside a packed Madison Square Garden Theater and addressed the initial emotional and controversial online response to Whittaker's casting.
He noted that he wasn't initially aware of it. "I don't hang around the internet looking for things with Doctor Who," he said, but added, "I hope people are embracing her. I'm glad people were moved."
Capaldi revealed that he and Whittaker are actually neighbors. "She just lives up the road from me," he said.
Whittaker told Capaldi later that they'd sat in many of the same cafes for the past three months, but she couldn't approach him to chat, because the only thing she could've said to him is, essentially, "I'm the Doctor."
Capaldi also revealed that he decided to leave Doctor Who because he feared getting too comfortable in the role.
"I never wanted to get to a place where I knew how to do this. That's not what creative is. You should be constantly challenged," said Capaldi.
The actor sort of learned about the casting of Whittaker when he got a call from the studio asking if they could get a pair of his trousers, but in a size 30.
"That can't really be a man," he thought.
The official handover will take place during Doctor Who's eagerly anticipated Christmas special. In it, Capaldi will regenerate into Whittaker.
Capaldi recalled his regeneration episode with Matt Smith and said that he'd never been paid for his roughly four minutes of screen time on that episode,
"They didn’t pay me for the regeneration. That’s entirely true. I still haven't been paid," laughed Capaldi.
The Scottish actor, who played the role of the Doctor for four seasons, offered few new clues about the Christmas special.
"Well, uh, my doctor is refusing to regenerate. He's just not having it. He's fed up and doesn’t want to turn into somebody else, whether or not it's someone as talented as Jodie Whittaker," said Capaldi.
As for what advice he offered Whittaker for playing the role, there was none. "I don’t think she needs any. She’s amazing." He added that it's hard to describe what the experience is like until they're in the middle of it. He has, though, commiserated with former Doctors Matt Smith and David Tennant. Capaldi thinks he may do the same with Whittaker once she settles into the role.
Capaldi also held out little hope of a return to the series. "I think its time to go, to leave this universe."
Topics Comics Doctor Who
Lance Ulanoff was Chief Correspondent and Editor-at-Large of Mashable. Lance acted as a senior member of the editing team, with a focus on defining internal and curated opinion content. He also helped develop staff-wide alternative story-telling skills and implementation of social media tools during live events. Prior to joining Mashable in September 2011 Lance Ulanoff served as Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for the Ziff Davis, Inc. While there, he guided the brand to a 100% digital existence and oversaw content strategy for all of Ziff Davis’ Web sites. His long-running column on PCMag.com earned him a Bronze award from the ASBPE. Winmag.com, HomePC.com and PCMag.com were all been honored under Lance’s guidance.He makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Fox News, the Today Show, Good Morning America, Kelly and Michael, CNBC, CNN and the BBC.He has also offered commentary on National Public Radio and been interviewed by newspapers and radio stations around the country. Lance has been an invited guest speaker at numerous technology conferences including SXSW, Think Mobile, CEA Line Shows, Digital Life, RoboBusiness, RoboNexus, Business Foresight and Digital Media Wire’s Games and Mobile Forum.
