'Doctor Who' News: Hayley Atwell Not Interested in Being the Next Doctor
British actress Hayley Atwell has taken a step away from her previous interest in filling in the shoes of the next "Doctor" in "Doctor Who."
During her appearance at the Heroes and Villains Fanfest in London, Atwell took back her previous words that she wants to take on the role of the next time-traveling doctor, explaining that she realized that playing the British pop-culture icon is not her thing.
As covered by Geek Feed, the 35-year-old actress revealed that the role of the Doctor is not right for her. Instead, she rooted for fellow Londoner Phoebe Waller-Bridge to eventually take over the role once Capaldi exits the show for good. Atwell said:
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"I don't want to play it. No. It's just not my thing, but I really respect it. I'm a big fan of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, though. She plays the lead in Fleabag. There were talks of her being the next Doctor, and she's so funny and eccentric and unique; she'd be great. I can't really see anyone other than her playing it."
According to Screen Rant, Atwell would have been a great actress to play the next iteration of "The Doctor" given her previous experiences of playing adventurous and hardball roles such as Peggy Carter in the "Captain America" movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She also reprised the role in a spinoff TV show titled "Agent Carter" for two seasons.
Even if Atwell is no longer interested in the job of becoming the next lead actor of "Doctor Who," there is a roster of other suitable actors who could take on the role after Capaldi. Apart from Waller-Bridge, other fan frontrunners being pushed for the role are Tilda Swinton, Maxine Peake and Olivia Colman.
BBC has so far remained mum on the mystery of who is going to play the next "Doctor Who." Lately, there has been clamor for a female-led variation of the TV series, so it could be possible that the network is leaning toward that possibility.
