Why actor was reluctant to reveal Timelord status
Jodie Whittaker says she was never going to be the one who leaked the news about her next big role. The 35-year-old actress who was unveiled as something of a surprise choice to play the 13th Doctor in the long-running British sci-fi series Doctor Who in July, admits that while keeping her big secret under wraps was difficult, she had no intention of putting the information out there herself.
‘‘I didn’t want anyone knowing. I was kind of happy with my anonymity,’’ the West Yorkshire actress says.
The former Broadchurch star got the news midway through filming Trust Me, a four-part BBC drama, which begins screening on TVNZ1 and OnDemand on Sunday.
However, while being able to focus on playing duplicitous nurse Cath Hardacre helped to distract her, inquiries about what she was up to next did cause some frustrations for her.
While Whittaker won’t reveal anything about her upcoming stint in the Tardis, she does believe her new role will help finance any little projects, like this year’s feature film Adult Life Skills, she might be keen on in the future. That said, she’s more than happy to just focus on The Doctor for the time being.
‘‘I’m really excited to get my head down and spend some time on this and not spread myself too thin. It’s a big and exciting challenge – one that needs 100 per cent focus. I’ve certainly got a few more years left in me, I’d like to be working in my 70s and 80s. And when I look at my CV, I just think I’ve been so lucky to have had different characters and storylines to work with all the time. Obviously now, this job is going to be the ultimate.’’
Whittaker will make her debut as The Doctor in this year’s Doctor Who Christmas Special – Twice Upon a Time.