I always had the feeling watching him that he was condescending to the role, unlike David Tennant and Matt Smith, who seem(ed) happy to commit 100 percent. They obviously love(d) what they are/were doing, or are/were good enough actors to convince me that they do/did.
Then when I started catching up on series 1 “Confidential,” I thought “Wow, he wasn’t just unenthusiastic, he actually resented doing this.”
Now, maybe I’m wrong. I know some people who still favor his portrayal, but I thought he wasn’t “into it” from the first episode I saw him in, and this just seems to confirm it. If all I’d had to judge the new series by was series one, I probably would have given up on it halfway through. (I started watching back when Sci Fi and BBCA were both showing episodes, so I saw the series 1 and 2 at the same time.)
I’m not sure how I expect this to develop as a thread, but it seemed like too much of a high jack to put in one of the current “Who” threads.
You know, I get that feeling watching him in ANY role, to be honest. Either he doesn’t particularly like acting, or his eyes are too deeply set and it makes him look cranky, I’ve never been sure which.
That said, I really like his work a lot, and that includes his role as The Doctor.
I thought I remembered reading, after David Tennant was announced as the Tenth Doctor, that Eccleston said he only ever intended to be in it for one year, and that he wasn’t a fan of the series (unlike Tennant was), but was doing it because he felt it was an important or career move (I’m a little fuzzy on the last part.)
That said, I prefer Eccleston’s Doctor more than I’m liking Matt Smith’s so far. Apples and oranges, YMMV, etc. But like the T-shirt says, you never forget your first Doctor.
From the few comments in that short article it seemed he was more unhappy with some behind the scenes stuff than with the show itself. He was a good Doctor, IMO, and I never got the impression that he was condescending or unhappy. He was a bit more of a brooding tough guy than the doctor usually is.
I thought he seemed particularly compassionate in the episode with the gas mask monsters. But I associate him most with the movie “Shallow Grave” so anything would seem sweet in comparison.
Eccleston was my first Doctor too, and the end of ‘The Doctor Dances’ is not only my defining memory of his tenure, but probably the moment that I fell in love with Doctor Who in general.
“Everybody lives, Rose. I could use MORE days like this!”
Yeah that was a very good episode and Eccelston was good in that one. I also liked him in the one where he goes out to dinner with the fartie alien from Aliens in London.
I did like Eccelston as the Doctor and I do wish he would have stuck around for another series at least, though Tennant ended up being even better.
I liked Eccleston also. He had a rather alien demeanor, as if his emotional base just wasn’t human. Perhaps that was actually disinterest in the role, but I thought it worked. I’m not sure if it would have worked in the long run, though to be honest.
I’m finding it kind of hilarious that you mixed up those pictures.
Count me in as another one who liked Eccleston better than Tennant as the Doctor. I’m not disillusioned that he never liked working on the show though. I always assumed that that was why he left.
I always received the impression from Eccleston that The Doctor was just another role, from Tennant that it was the role, and from Smith that he is The Doctor.
Personally, I’d find the instant Doctor Who fan base very intimidating. The craziness started the instant Matt Smith was selected for the role. I’d imagine his private life was gone long before the first episode aired. Tennant went thru the same thing.
I guess most actors want fans. But, it must be tough stepping into such a high profile role.
