Doctor Who Allowed David Tennant To Live Out A Life Long Dream
David Tennant is a man of many roles — but the actor is particularly revered for his time as the Tenth Doctor on the British sci-fi series "Doctor Who." It tells the tale of a Time Lord known as the Doctor, who travels back and forth in time via his uber-cool time machine spacecraft known as the TARDIS. The Doctor also regenerates at the end of his role and transforms into a different person. Pretty cool, huh?
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Tennant's incarnation of the Doctor is one of the most beloved ones to have taken control of the TARDIS. The Scottish actor came after Christopher Eccleston's version of the Time Lord and was followed by Matt Smith. Tennant hasn't reprised his role as the Tenth Doctor since the 50th anniversary special in 2013 — but his efforts haven't been forgotten, and he remains a favorite for a majority of "Doctor Who" fans. His dedication to the role, which he played with charm and vitality, is greatly missed by "Doctor Who" admirers.
It turns out, David Tennant's too-good-to-be-true work on the series stems from a lifelong dream of his — to play the protagonist on a season of "Doctor Who." It's a dream that encouraged him to pursue acting at the age of 3 — and one that he fulfilled 30 years later.
'I grew up loving Doctor Who ...'
At three years old, David Tennant had all but one dream — to star on "Doctor Who." As a fan of Tom Baker's version of The Doctor, who played the Fourth Doctor in the classic series, the young actor was utterly enthralled by him and hoped to follow in his footsteps one day. But the "Doctor Who" revival wouldn't happen for years, so Tennant had to take on other roles before he could fulfill his life's most significant dream.
Tennant tenaciously held onto his goal of becoming an actor, despite being dissuaded by his parents. Here's an interesting tidbit — Tennant isn't the only actor to play the Doctor in his family — his father-in-law, Peter Davison, portrayed the Fifth Doctor in the original series!
The actor has previously confessed to being "absurdly single-minded" in pursuing an acting career; he watched every "Doctor Who" episode for years and met Tom Baker at a book-signing event in Glasgow. He wrote essays inspired by the show and walked around with a "Doctor Who" doll. He wasn't just a fan — he was a "Doctor Who" superfan — a fanboy, if you will. And he manifested his role, playing the Tenth Doctor nearly three decades later. Tennant told Rolling Stone in 2014:
"Doctor Who was a massive influence. I think it was for everyone in my generation; growing up, it was just part of the cultural furniture in Britain in the '70s and '80s."
David Tennant was cast as the Tenth Doctor two days before his 34th birthday, on April 19, 2004. The actor was thrilled about having fulfilled a life-long dream and in his statement (via BBC), wrote, "I am delighted, excited, and honored to be the Tenth Doctor. I grew up loving Doctor Who and it has been a lifelong dream to get my very own TARDIS."
The actor's endless love for "Doctor Who" and knowledge of the show aided him in perfecting his portrayal of the Doctor. Tennant's incarnation beautifully depicted the duality of the character — honoring the Doctor's eternal youth and child-like curiosity, while honing in on the brilliance of an ageless time Lord who is haunted by his dark past.
Bring him back for the 60th anniversary, you cowards!