5 Suggestions For A Non-British Doctor

Guest contributor Garrett Alden shares his list.

Doctor Who is so innately British that I think it would be difficult, bordering on impossible to actually cast someone not from the British Isles in the role. I’m even doubtful about Ireland and Wales. But this is the internet, where we make lists for fun! So let’s say, for a moment, that it were possible: who could pull off the role? Which actors could capture the unique “Doctor-ness” already displayed by Doctors of the past?

First, let’s go over the essentials:

• This actor would have to speak English. Even if they aren’t British, Doctor Who would still need Doctors who can speak the language it’s thus far been conveyed in.
• Who has the kind of range needed to be the Doctor? Who can be funny, and then switch to serious in an instant?
• What about charisma? Can this Doctor win over friend, foe, and audience alike?

There are plenty more factors I’m sure, but for now, let’s get on to five actors I think could, hypothetically, play the Doctor.

Christoph Waltz

To start the list off, I thought I’d go with the man who inspired it in the first place. For those who don’t know, Christoph Waltz is an English, French, and German-speaking Austrian actor, best known for his roles in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained and Inglourious Basterds. He’s quirky, he’s charming, and utterly unique. His role in Inglourious Basterds is that of Hanz Landa, a Nazi known as the “Jew Hunter.” On paper, that hardly sounds like something that would lend itself to a potential Doctor! But considering that the character was funny, compelling and yet still managed to be menacing, not to mention earned him an Academy Award, I think you might see how I drew the connection.

In addition, the relationship his character has in Django Unchained with Jaime Fox’s titular role reminds me somewhat of the Doctor-Companion relationship. Waltz’s character has to explain much that is foreign to Django, acting as his guide in the wider world he has been ignorant of as a slave; much like the way the Doctor introduces his companions to the universe beyond their own world. Yet, despite being in a supporting, mentor-like role, Waltz still manages to be heroic in his own right.

John Lithgow

Next, allow me to present the case for John Lithgow. Lithgow is perhaps best known for playing Dick Solomon on 3^rd Rock from the Sun. Dick is an alien masquerading as a human, and Lithgow plays him as an overly dramatic, egocentric man-child, fascinated by everything about Earth. Sound familiar? Lithgow could easily match the silliness and pontificating technobabble that we’ve seen in previous Doctors. But what of his dramatic chops? One need only look at his role as the Trinity Killer on Dexter, whose loving family man façade could switch to cold hatred at the drop of a hat.

Zachary Quinto

Thus far my candidates have been middle-aged or older, so let’s take a look at a younger actor… before returning to more elder actors. Zachary Quinto has had several well-known sci-fi roles in recent years which I think qualify him. Firstly, he stared as the superpower-stealing serial killer Sylar on Heroes. Like previous entries, Quinto managed to make a thoroughly despicable person relatable, charismatic and, strange though it may sound, funny. Sylar was so popular in fact that he became a regular over the rest of Heroes’ run, possibly to the show’s detriment, though not to Quinto’s. From television, let’s turn to film and Quinto’s portrayal of Spock in the new Star Trek movies. He had some big shoes, and pointy ears, to fill after the late, great Leonard Nimoy, but Quinto brought a humanity and vulnerability to the role that Nimoy rarely had. Plus, if any character could prepare someone for the kind of rapid fire sci-fi dialogue of Doctor Who, there are few better suited than Spock.

Bryan Cranston

For the penultimate entry on the list, I’ve chosen Bryan Cranston. Breaking Bad. Is that enough of a reason? I should probably elaborate though. Cranston’s Walter White is one of the most fascinating characters of the small screen, and possibly the big screen as well. Initially a science teacher cooking meth to provide money for his family after he is given a fatal cancer diagnosis, Walter’s endeavors quickly reveal long buried darkness in his character, which fuels his rise and fall in the criminal world. Cranston’s portrayal received multiple Emmy Awards and several nominations besides.

But what of the Doctor’s lighter side? Can Cranston do light and warm too? Look no further than his turn as Hal on Malcolm in the Middle. Hal is a caring, though inept and bumbling, father to the titular character and his siblings. Cranston displays a great aptitude for comedy, both verbal and physical, in the role. I can just imagine him enthusiastically circling the TARDIS console, his voice getting comicly higher as he explains something dangerous.

John Noble

Finally, though not the actor who inspired the list, John Noble is the man I think best suited to be a non-British Doctor. The Australian actor convinced me with his part on Fringe, a thoroughly underrated show. His character, Doctor Walter Bishop, is a brilliant, though emotionally and mentally damaged scientist. Noble as Walter displayed a fantastic range on the show, which convinced me of his ability to do justice to the Doctor’s innocence, rage, kindness, charm, wit, and brilliance. To some degree, you might say that Noble has already played the Doctor; since there are multiple versions of Walter in Fringe, each with his own slight variations on the same essential man.

I have no doubt that some will agree and disagree with me. But personally, I’d prefer to hear your own ideas of who you think could play the Doctor, in the event that Starship UK is ever built.