A few weeks back, the BBC1 hit Saturday night show was
in a spin after it was revealed that Tennant was stepping away from tackling the Daleks for a while to tread the boards to
tackle Hamlet with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
But with a Christmas special already in the can featuring Kylie
Minogue, Tennant says he has no plans to stop being a Time Lord . . . just yet anyway. And he is the first to admit that despite
becoming a household name, he doesn't feel trapped by being the Doctor.
"Not at all, the time - nine months filming - is a big commitment
and it means that it's not possible for me to do some theatre, say, in between series, but I'm having a ball, so trapped isn't
the word," says David. "It's very humbling to beseen as part of
something that people are so attached to. It's an experience I'm delighted to have had."
And millions of TV viewers agree. Since taking over the mantle
from Christopher Eccleston, Tennant has won the hearts of the nation by taking the Doctor in a cooler direction by matching
his sharp pin-stripe suit with a pair of Converse trainers. And his pin-up looks and wry edge has won him the gay vote.
Tennant, 36, who set hearts racing in the BBC1 costume drama Casanova,
said: "I was recently voted Number One in The Pink Paper, followed by Brad Pitt and David Beckham. I guess I'm just doing
my job. I am very proud of it though. How can you react to something like that? It's flattering to come ahead of Brad Pitt
and Beckham, it's a mystery to me but I am very proud of it."
Penned by Swansea's very own Russell T Davies, Doctor
Who and its spin off Torchwood have been a huge hit on both sides of the Atlantic - a success
Tennant puts down to Davies's scripts.
"Each script that we get is more funny and wilder and more inventive
than the last. "The show exists on several levels," says Tennant.
"It's an adventure story and it goes to some emotional places. "It's Russell who gives it that extra texture."
Tennant says reading the scripts is "never a chore because
they are written by the "cream" of British television writers. Each one's a page turner," says Tennant. "A script just
works or it doesn't. It's something chemical. Good writing just is - it's difficult to define. Sometimes it's something that
plays with a role so much that it shouldn't work but it does. The story has to take you along and the dialogue has to sound
like someone is really speaking it. You just know. That first pure reaction is quite an important one."
Growing up, Tennant was always a Who fan and says he had no r
e s e r v a t i o n s about taking on the role when it came along. And the fear of becoming typecast, he says, is something
he never worried about.
"You can worry about things like that and never take a job," says Tennant. "You can worry yourself into turning it down or you can take it and
see what happens. I would not have missed this for the world."
Born in West Lothian, Tennant was a student on the dramatic studies
course at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow from 1988 to 1991. His TV career stretches back to the
early 1990s, with parts in Taking' Over the Asylum and Rab C Nesbitt. But since 2004, he's had a string of high profile roles,
including a lead in BBC1's drama Blackpool and the title role in Casanova. But with theatre now in his sights, Tennant is
looking forward to returning to the boards - and his ambitions include tackling the classics.
He said: "There are so many Shakespearean roles I would like to play. There are so many, Iago, Benedict, Richard
II, I could go on - they're all great parts. I don't particularly covet
Macbeth though, don't think that one is really me."
But
despite his fame and fortune over here, Tennant says he has no concrete plans to chase superstardom
in Hollywood.
He said: "I'm not un-tempted! But I'm in no rush. I've never had a great
five year plan. I wouldn't say no if something came by and was worth doing. But I've seen friends go out and it can be
very tough and demoralising so I'll just see what happens.”
"Fame is not something I chase and it takes a bit of getting used to. It's
a bit weird the first time a photographer chases you
down the street. But it's churlish to complain about it. I like being recognised
for what I do and I'm proud of what I do - being a well-known
actor is a very privileged position. "I don't talk about my private life - I choose to define my own boundaries and not take every available publicity opportunity. I don't
think I would have coped very well at 21 so I'm glad I've had a few years working first before dealing with being famous."
Don't worry David, we think you're doing just fine.
Source: Ubizy December 2007
