AUGUST 15, 2013 3:59pm PT by Philiana Ng
Bill Nighy Turned Down 'Doctor Who': Role Has 'Too Much Baggage'
Bill Nighy, the British actor, has revealed that he was approached to play the Doctor, though he remained tight-lipped on
when the offer actually came.
"I will say that I was approached," the 63-year-old said. "But I didn't want to be the Doctor."
Nighy, who next stars in
Richard Curtis'
About Time (Nov. 8), saw the pressures attached to playing such an iconic part.
"No disrespect to
Doctor Who or anything, I just think that it comes with too much baggage," he said.
Nighy had appeared in a supporting role on a 2010 episode of
Doctor Who, "Vincent and the Doctor," as Dr. Black, with
Matt Smith and then-companion
Karen Gillan.
But Nighy had high praise for 55-year-old Scottish actor
Peter Capaldi, who
ultimately landed the coveted part. BBC One and BBC America aired a one-hour live special revealing Capaldi as the successor to Smith, who will depart as the Doctor following the Christmas special.
"He's a marvelous actor. He'll be very good as the Doctor," Nighy said of Capaldi. "He'll bring a lot of wit and dry humor. He's elegant and he looks great."
Smith's
farewell tour continued at the summer Television Critics Association press tour in late July. "I think the show has come to a natural tipping point, and it's at the top of a cycle," Smith said of the difficult decision to depart. "I think it's a good time for me and the show."
