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Sure they did. Maybe we’re not hanging out in the same places but there was a lot of screaming about it, including people who said it was a trial run for how fans would handle a female Doctor.
[Moderating]
DigitalC, that will be a Warning for personal insults. You know that that’s not allowed outside of the Pit.
I went back and watched the episode of BLACK MIRROR she was in, and – well, I was convinced she’s got the acting chops to pull it off; she’s awfully good at looking like she’s anticipating what someone is thinking, and at delivering a sensible-sounding remark as the voice of reason who enjoys a good laugh.
But I have to admit, it was a bit jarring that she’s a trifle short compared to the folks in scene after scene with her. Yeah, fine, call me shallow if you want; but maybe the first female Doctor Who should’ve been, like, five-nine, so as not to start off with two strikes when striding in to work the Instantly Authoritative schtick?
Again, I’m not saying she can’t pull it off; a good actress can overcome that. I’m just saying, it looks like Capaldi and Smith and Tennant and Eccleston were all, what, six feet tall or more? You know, like Tom Baker was, and like Jon Pertwee was? And they even cast guys like Baker and Davison – who were less memorable and had less command presence, but at least had that center-of-attention height going for 'em?
Plenty of folks have been raving about Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman; I’ve been raving about Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. But I don’t think I realized until just now that, oh, hey, that’s right: Diana recruits that Scottish sharpshooter and that French mercenary to join her on the battlefield, and they literally look up at her; just like how, in heels, she’s looking Steve Trevor right in the eye. It’s still on her to sell it, but it’s probably a little easier given that she’s a woman with height on her side.
Sooo…the new Doc is a good-looking babe who apparently has some serious acting chops.
And the writing is going to change. OG knows, it needed to.
I might have to start watching again.
Hey Tom Cruise is like 4’8" and he keeps getting jobs.
I always love this statement - ‘the best person for the job’. Particularly for an acting job, where the script and director are at least as important as the actor - how do you determine what ‘best’ means?
Along the lines of the Daleks with penises;
They’re Cybermen, so obviously they should be equipped with large shiny silver penises which shoot streams of white nanobots that cover people and convert them.
My whole point. Cruise, who has three Oscar nominations and is male, is taller than she is. But he still gets jibes like that aimed his way, even though he has the acting chops to show up as the military officer who knows how to handle this.
Cruise has one strike against him and has been working to overcome it for more than thirty years. Sexists might well give the new Doctor Who a strike for being a woman; a second strike for height – can be overcome as well, but, again, it takes work.
Huh. I wish someone would show me some of that “inbuilt feminist bias nowadays.” Well, maybe the reason I don’t get that is that I am also old, and society doesn’t have an “inbuilt old people bias”. I just never seem to get my timing right.
That’s my point. Just replacing a man for woman for the role won’t necessarily make it as good or better. Gender should not be an issue but I suspect it has become one. They probably thought it was time for a change for its own sake.
If, as you say, gender should not be an issue then why are you concerned about it?
I agree, one of the major things the show tries to show is the importance of height and physical aptitude in general - I recall so many speeches from the doctor on how important it is to be physically stronger and more imposing than anyone else. I think it was definitely a horrible mistake casting someone who’s the same height as the seventh doctor, a whopping two inches shorter than the first and second doctors, and a full three inches shorter than the eighth and war doctors, clearly this is some awful casting. I mean, if she wears 3" heels she’d only be the same height as John Hurt, and we all know he had a really hard time showing an impressive presence in his scenes.
That made me wonder if The Doctor could be played by a teen or even a younger child. If even for a standalone episode.
I think you should consider that your initial reaction and emotional response might be due to some underlying biases and bigotries, and perhaps you’d like to recognize them so that you can work to eliminate them.
I’m not a woman hater but why did they feel it was necessary to change Dr. Who’s gender when it has worked well so far? You see, this is the problem when anyone dares to challenge some role that involves a woman in that you are straight away labelled as ‘sexist’ or ‘misogynist’ and all rational discussion goes out the window. I have no objection to gender if it means improving something or other but I often feel it is just a ‘box ticking’ exercise in an effort to challenge men’s perceived power over women.
Dr. Who has been popular for many years so why the need to change its basic premise? I feel it might be politically motivated which is wholly inappropriate in my view and smacks of social manipulation.
:rolleyes:
Again, clearly it can be overcome; Hurt, an Oscar-caliber actor, radiated presence, much like how I was just saying that Cruise is an Oscar-caliber actor who likewise makes up for it – and much like how I explicitly said, in the very post you’re replying to, that a good actress can overcome it, too.
But I’m guessing there’s a reason why Capaldi and Smith and Tennant and Eccleston were cast, and I’m guessing it’s because it’s a bit easier to sell the Doctor’s signature schtick with a little height on their side. Yeah, it’s still brainpower that carries the day; but that often happens after people literally look up at the person who assures folks that it’s going to be okay and I know what to do and you should listen to me.
I’m not sure you quite understand what the “Basic Premise” of the show is.
How have they changed its basic premise?
My understanding is that the main character will still be doing all of the things that Doctor Who has always done. I would ask you, if the show continues to do the sorts of things that it has always done, why does it matter if the person in the the role of the Doctor is a woman rather than a man?
It has been abundantly clear, and frequently stated for many years now that Doctor Who is not ‘set in stone’ as a white male. It was only a matter of time before she became female, or black, or Indian or whatever.
Anyways, polls are showing @ 85% support for this, so count yourself among the vocal minority who are attempting to find nefarious reasons for what the rest of us have accepted and anticipated for years now.