Female Doctor Who is still ‘ The Doctor’
Jodie Whittaker’s turn playing iconic role comes at a “timely moment”
British actress Jodie Whittaker was hardly a familiar face, at least not until recently. ❚ “Being recognized on the street was maybe (like), ‘ Oh I think I know who that is,’ or being kind of looked at in a quizzical fashion, ‘Did we go to school together?’ ” Whittaker says. ❚ But after the BBC anointed her as the first woman to step into the iconic lead role on “Doctor Who” in July 2017, that all changed. ❚ “It’s strange to have someone know exactly who you are and at what point they’re going to be seeing you play this role,” she says, just before her first full episode as the Doctor.
“It’s a wonderful thing, but (it) can be quite overwhelming at times to know that no matter how many Doctors there will be, I’ll still be one. It’s a job for life in a way that no other is.”
Despite all the trappings, baggage and pressure that come with the role, Whittaker is remarkably chill about her big debut.
“I wanted to approach it like I approached any job,” she says. “I think this is one of the first times I’ve been able to bring what is my in-between-scenes personality, which is a very different thing. I talk a lot and I jump from subject to subject and I love the physical energy required of this role, and it bleeds into life.”
She added that playing the Doctor (BBC America, Sundays, 8 EDT/PDT) can help actors discover things about themselves. “You can find yourself playing the Doctor,” she says.
Whittaker and new “Doctor Who” head writer and executive producer Chris Chibnall caught up with USA TODAY to talk inclusion, monsters and whether the Doctor can actually remember she’s a woman.
Question: Your casting meant a lot to me. How has it been over the last year hearing from fans?
Jodie Whittaker: It’s been incredibly exciting knowing we’ve got a huge fan base before we’ve put in an ounce of work. It’s all over the world, and the response being mostly euphoric was excellent. ... And now, being able to share all this hard work with all the fans and potentially new fans, it’s a long time coming.
Q: The casting was announced just a few months before the #MeToo movement kicked off. Does the new era we’re living in change your perception of the significance of the role?
Whittaker: During the year it felt as if this was a timely moment. ... The thing about it is it goes with the package. It starts a conversation.
Q: The Doctor often travels to the past. How will you deal with the her going to historically sexist eras?
Chris Chibnall: Yes, we will go into historical eras. When we get to the third episode you’ll see us in – Whittaker: You’re not allowed to say that! Chibnall: I can’t remember what I’m allowed to say at this point! ... When we go into history we will be obviously dramatizing the appropriate reactions to the Doctor in that time, so it’s not going to be ignored.
Whittaker: No it’s not. ... There’s a conversation around it, as (there) it should be. (But) regarding the character and the role, the gender quickly becomes irrelevant, because the Doctor is the Doctor.
Q: What part of being the Doctor were you most excited about?
Whittaker: The freedom of expression. With the Doctor, there’s no etiquette constraints, there’s no social expectations because she’s an outsider continually but (someone) who is always passionately learning and never abusing her hindsight to judge.