There’s No Winning With Doctor Who Fans: Before Jodie Whittaker and Ncuti Gatwa, 1 Actor After David Tennant Was Targeted for Being Too Young for the Role
Before Ncuti Gatwa or Jodie Smith, one Doctor Who star, who replaced David Tennant, faced backlash for being too young, later proving fans wrong.
SUMMARY
- Matt Smith, who played the Eleventh Doctor, faced backlash from fans for being too young for the role.
- Despite initial criticism, Smith proved fans wrong by redefining Doctor Who for a new generation.
- The Doctor Who fandom is notoriously hard to please, with casting decisions often sparking fervent debates.
The world of Doctor Who is one of boundless imagination, where the limits of time and space are pretty much non-existent due to the timelessness of the Doctor. However, when it comes to the fandom, pleasing the fandom can be just as complex and tumultuous as the time vortex itself. Every time there is supposed to be a new doctor, there are more chances of it becoming a polarizing event rather than the one fans would be appreciative of.
So, while in recent years, Jodi Whittaker and Ncuti Gatwa have been the ones to face such backlash over their casting, there was another actor who, after stepping into the TARDIS after David Tennant, became the target of scrutiny for being too young for the role.
Doctor Who star who was criticized by fans for being ‘too young’
David Tennent is and will always be hailed as one of the best actors to have starred as Doctor Who. But when it came to him saying goodbye to the role, not only were fans sad to see him go but were also angry about the actor who was replacing him, since they felt he was too young.
The Eleventh Doctor was none other than Matt Smith, who took over the role in 2009 and became the youngest actor to take on the role at the age of 26. At that time a relatively unknown actor, many fans expressed concern that Smith’s age would make it impossible for him to portray the gravitas and wisdom of the centuries-old Time Lord.
Naturally, there started hate campaigns and backlash, with critics doubting whether someone so young could convincingly convey the complexity of the Doctor’s character. His boyish appearance and modest acting resume did nothing to help but only served as fuel to the fire burning hot.
But as we all know, Matt Smith being the person and actor he is, proved everyone wrong. By bringing in a unique blend of whimsy intensity and emotional depth, Smith redefined Doctor Who for the new generation. The result is that to this day, he remains one of the most beloved and fan-favorite Doctor Who actors of all time.
The Doctor Who fandom is one of the hardest to please
As one of the longest-running sci-fi series in television history, Doctor Who has cultivated a devoted following that spans generations, and hence poses a significant threat and is notoriously hard to please.
While there are several things that often kick off fervent debates, a major source of tension lies in the casting of the Doctor. In the most recent years, it was the casting of Jodie Whittaker and Ncuti Gatwa that drew the most criticism. Whittaker’s Doctor was criticized as the first female Doctor, which fans not only felt was forced diversity but also her season lacked the plot and writing that made it hard for fans to take her seriously.
On the other hand, Gatwa was the first Black actor to be cast in the role, leading again to online backlash for forced diversity. Furthermore, both actors were criticized for not being traditionally Doctor-like. Even storylines faced similar scrutiny since fans did not like how different they were from the traditional, classic episodes that fans had grown to love. While the debates have cooled down a bit with the passage of time, the fandom’s extreme dedication is a testament to the enduring legacy of the show.
