English actor Bill Nighy says that he turned down the role of Doctor Who. The actor was touted for the prestigious job as the time-travelling polymath in BBC’s long-awaited reboot in 2005 before Christopher Eccleston landed the part.
Nighy’s revelation may incur the wrath of Doctor Who bosses who have always ordered actors to keep quiet about turning down the esteemed job offer. The actor, who plays rebel leader Kuata in the upcoming remake of Total Recall, says he thought the job would mean intense media attention and eventually decided to say no.
"I was offered the role once, I won't tell you when because the rule is that you're not allowed to say you turned that job down because it's disrespectful to whoever did it,” he told The People newspaper. “I will say that I was approached. But I didn't want to be the Doctor. No disrespect to Doctor Who or anything. I just think that it comes with too much baggage."
David Tennant and Matt Smith have played Doctor Who since Eccleston left after one season.
