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Perhaps people mainly know David Tennant from when he played the Tenth Doctor on Doctor Who, but since then, audiences have begun to discover – and love him – in many other roles.
If he’s still a bit of a mystery to you, then you’ll be glad you stopped to check out these 10 fun facts about Scot David John McDonald (otherwise known as David Tennant, of course)!
#10. He avoids reading reviews.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BycZxBmCmDa/
People who work in creative industries are always advised to avoid reading reviews, and Tennant tries to follow that advice for a happier creative life.
“I try not to read them, these days. Reviews aren’t really for the people who are performing, and – good or bad – they don’t help. You always get a sense is something you’re in has been well received or not, that’s unavoidable. But beyond that, details are best avoided.”
#9. He took his stage name from the Pet Shop Boys.
Since there was already a David McDonald in the actors’ union, Tennant was in search of a stage name – which he found after reading an interview with Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant.
“…I always liked the name. Now, I’m more intimately associated with it than I had ever imagined. Thank you, Neil Tennant.”
#8. He’s gotten young people interested in Shakespeare.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUPwmkklO9d/
Tennant has spent quite a bit of time with the Royal Shakespeare Company, including a stint as the coveted Hamlet, and tickets to see him are hot and hard to get.
“Hamlet is a very popular play,” said a company spokesperson at the time. “It’s the most famous. But obviously there’s the factor that David Tennant is in it and the good news is that he’s bringing a lot of younger audiences to Shakespeare.”
#7. He always wanted to play Doctor Who.
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From the age of three, Tennant wanted to become an actor specifically so that he could one day play The Doctor ond Doctor Who. He grew up watching Tom Baker’s version and couldn’t get enough.
“Doctor Who was a massive influence. I think it was for everyone in my generation; growing up, it was just a part of the cultural furniture in Britain in the ’70s and ’80s.”
#6. But after he landed the part, he had some concerns.
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByX-koMBxzc/
After achieving his lifelong dream, though, Tennant did stop to wonder whether or not it was a wise career move.
“I did remember being thrilled to bits when I got asked and then a few days later thinking, ‘Oh, is this a terrible idea?’ …But that didn’t last very long. Time will tell. The only option is you don’t take these jobs when they come up. You’ve got to just roll with the punches.”
#5. His first gig was in a PSA.
At 16, Tennant booked his first official role in an anti-smoking PSA for the Glasgow Health Board.
#4. He nearly landed the role of Hannibal Lecter.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BydPIQJFFfB/
The television adaptation of Hannibal nearly cast Tennant in the lead role, and even though he didn’t get the part, director Bryan Fuller still wanted to have him on set.
“I’m a huge fan of David Tennant, and we’ve been trying to get him on the show for quite some time. He’s such a spectacular actor. He brings such an effervescence to every performance. I would love to have David on the show. Or just write for David! I would kill and eat somebody to work with David! He’s my favorite Doctor.”
#3. He married the Doctor’s daughter.
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In 2011 he married Georgia Moffett, who played his artificially created daughter, Jenny, on a 2008 episode called The Doctor’s Daughter.
And in real life, Georgia really is the Doctor’s daughter – her father is Peter Davison, who was the 5th Doctor (1981-1984).
#2. He’s a big fan of Aaron Sorkin.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BynBf2SCVFr/
Tennant told Collider he loved The West Wing and the man who created it equally.
“The West Wing is finished now but that’s the one that I would have loved to have been part of. I’d love to work with Aaron Sorkin on something. Just the way he writes, he has no fear in writing people that are fiercely intelligent, and I love that. I love the speed of his stuff, and the way people free-associate and interact. That kind of writing is very exciting. It’s hard to have that kind of clarity of voice, especially in a world where there’s a million executives listening to everything you do and having an opinion and trying to drive everything toward the lowest common denominator because that’s what happens when things are made by committee. So, to have someone who’s got a strong individual voice that is allowed to be heard is quite increasingly rare. These people need to be cherished.”
#1. His first movie role was as “drunk undergraduate.”
https://youtu.be/1dpTG9IjD28
In 1996, Tennant nabbed the role in Michael Winterbottom’s Jude, in which he acted opposite Christopher Eccleston (also a Doctor!).
He’s definitely worth getting to know!
