According to one Facebook group she was actually axed from the science fiction show for being “too difficult” to work with. Whether there’s actually any truth in that I wouldn’t like to say as I’m not an expert on these things.
Ah, “difficult to work with”. I’ve heard that that’s the preferred excuse given by producers for firing actresses who don’t submit to the casting couch. It may or may not be true in this case, but it definitely rings some alarm bells.
On the other hand, there are a lot of actors and actresses who are truly difficult to work with.
Doctor Who Confidential often showed the actors shooting on location in Cardiff. They waited in small tents between shots to avoid the paparazzi. It was often pretty cold in Cardiff but it wasn’t acknowledged on screen. David and Catherine were wearing Parkas and a PA would take the coats just before filming. David’s little Doctor Who suit offered little warmth. The actors seemed to accept the challenges with good grace.
The actors had to be pretty easy going to work on those sets. Anyone who got impatient or argued with cast mates or crew would be a major distraction.
I wouldn’t be surprised that a 19 year old might not fit into that difficult environment. Millie didn’t necessarily have to do or say anything outrageous. If she was a distraction it was easier to find someone else that wanted the role.
Billie Piper and Karen Gillian were both 23 when they started on the show, and that’s not that much older than 19.
Not to mention that plenty of 19-year-olds have done much more difficult jobs, like fighting wars.
Given that the show-runner in this case is Russell T Davies, who’s extremely unlikely to be interested in a 19-year-old woman, I think it’s less likely.
I suspect it’s more along the lines of him finding he’d written a satisfying conclusion to her character’s storyline, and decided it made more sense dramatically for her to leave.
I am not familiar with the show but the article says she has worked the last four years on “Coronation Street.” If so then it would seem Gibson has a fair amount of professional acting work under her belt. So, while younger, it seems she has experience as a professional actor.
That said, I cannot say how she behaved on this show.
I can’t think of any actor in the last couple of decades or so that’s been labeled difficult to work with who didn’t actually prove to be so across multiple projects; it’s not used lightly anymore. The cover-up line du jour seems to be “creative differences.”
Pretty sure it’s not true in this case - the showrunner is not interested in women of any age.
That might be part of it. Certainly, if the situation wasn’t working out RTD might have written a conclusive ending to her run. In other cases showrunners for that series have extended an actor’s run (supposedly Jenna Coleman was going to leave shortly after Matt Smith but she and Peter Capaldi worked so well together some changes were made so she could stay longer. Then she was turned into a total Mary Sue but that’s for another day).
Rather famously (in fan circles) Christopher Eccelston left Doctor Who after only one year despite having the lead role. All concerned have been very tight-lipped about why, but that’s another situations where “it just didn’t work out” might apply. In other words, at least some of it might be genuine creative differences.
I’m not sure I’m following this. Are you saying that all trhe actors you know who are labeled difficult to work with ARE actually difficult to work with? Or are you saying the opposite? The plain reading of your sentence is that every actor labelled ‘difficult to work with’ that you know has actually been proven to be difficult to work with across many projects.
I’m sure there are many reasons why actors get labeled ‘difficult to work with’. Sometimes it’s just professionalism - they won’t settle for sloppy work or weak takes, and demand a better quality output. Sometimes they are just divas. Sometimes they are not skilled enough, and require many takes to get the appropriate expressions, etc. Some have drug and alcohol problems that affect their work. Some throw hissy fits, but othere are just demanding.
There is survivorship bias here, because unless you are a proven box office draw, developing a reputation for being difficult to work with is the kiss of death. Lindsay Lohan torpedoed her career that way.
Edward Norton is ‘difficult to work with’, because he’s a perfectionist. Steven Seagal is ‘difficult to work with’ because he’s an egomaniacal bully with no talent. Julia Roberts is difficult to work with because she’s apparently a diva and picks fights with her co-stars.
And Mira Sorvino was ‘difficult to work with’ because she wouldn’t let Harvey Weinstein use her as a sex toy.
Quite a few companions only last a year. It’s not that surprising for it to happen again. We don’t usually learn about it before the series has aired, though. In the past it got announced maybe halfway in.
I’d rather not know these kinds of things at all, and let the story play out as it will, but we no longer live in an age of hiding from such showbiz leaks.
Yeah. It’s not like she was dropped after one or two episodes - she’ll get one whole series (and maybe some guest spots later). This sounds more like RTD had a good arc for her, and it makes sense for her to leave after that (I found it awkward to have Amy and Rory around after “A Good Man Goes to War,” (even though I really liked the characters), so I’m sympathetic to a character leaving when their story is done).
The irony here is you seem to be saying not everyone labeled difficult actually is, then go on to cite numerous examples of people being various types of difficult to work with.
I’ve never heard Mira Sorvino labeled as difficult. She herself has said that she was too slow to denounce Woody Allen, which negatively affected her career.
Hard to have an opinion based on her one ep?
Lots of whether I am happy or sad to see a companion go is based on the dynamic between the actors playing them and The Doctor. Individual great actors might not play off each other well. Or might. I can’t say I felt great chemistry in the one ep, but the ep just a fun goofy thing. My sense from one ep is that I wouldn’t be sad if they gave this Doctor someone else to play off of. But maybe by the end of her run I’ll feel differently?
Of the Companions who left fairly quickly how many were you sad to see go? (Not one ep ones.)
I think more stayed too long than left too soon.
Nitpick, it’s “Gillan”. Scottish pronunciation of the “G”, perhaps better rendered as “Jillan” for Americans. Rhymes with “Chillin’”, as in her talk show “Chillin with Gillan”. I’m still in love with her, so please get her name right.
As to Millie Gibson being out after this season, I’m sad to hear it. All I know about her is what I saw on the Christmas special, but I thought that was splendid.
As an aside, as far as I know, the musical scene wasn’t her idea.
Jibson?
Uhhh… hmm.
Can we defer for about a year?
Not that much less likely. Christopher Eccelston left the show after falling out with Davies over how he was running the show. The exact nature of the rupture between the two of them isn’t public, but given that both John Barrowman and Noel Clarke were accused of sexual harassment, and both were on the show under Davies, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that she’s “difficult to work with” because she was being harassed by someone other than Davies, and Davies is just really bad at or uninterested in handling that sort of thing on shows he’s producing.
The rumors seem to be that she will be in all of restart season 14 and the first 3 episodes of season 15, which is already filming for a 2025 release.
Thanks - that’s clearer than the reports I had seen