Dear David about fans and work

by

21

 

img_3650

David Tennant at BAM Harvey Theater Photo: Emily Assiran for Observer

Article published today i think, very interesting read, while he is doing Richard II on Broadway (his first time in NY with theater if i understand correctly).

David Tennant Resuscitates Shakespeare in Brooklyn

I loved the production, have seen it twice and was curious how it would be received in NY and also hoping he would be ok doing it as he’s sadly recently lost a parent.

(I’m still wading though daily life and work but slowly back on track and i mean to catch up on writing, including a lot of theater, and this year January has definitely been the David Tennant month for me. I was aware he was in NY with the Richard II and was looking for reviews but bumped into this interesting and at the same time recognisable interview – ie his opinions are not surprising to me at this point. So until i get round to posting some stuff of my own i thought this was a nice read).

You can find the full article in the link above, but i like what he said about fans 🙂 and he’s met them even in gym showers 😉 :

‘So between Dr. Who and Jessica Jones and Harry Potter and Shakespearian plays, these are some of the biggest franchises in history. Which fandom is the most crazy-passionate about what they follow? Probably the most…obviously enthusiastic to me are Dr. Who fans, but then I suppose in a way that that’s the franchise that I’ve been most significantly involved with I guess by playing the title character for a number of years. But I certainly wouldn’t use the word “crazy.” It’s a lovely thing to be the representative of. It just means a lot to people and people get passionate about it. And certainly Harry Potter fans can be, too. I suppose I’m certainly more in the periphery of that with one appearance, but I think you know, as hobbies go, as things to spend your free time on go, I can absolutely understand that kind of fandom because I’ve been there myself. That’s more explicable to me than even being a sports fan.

When I’ve gone to the conventions or stuff I have a real affection and warmth for these people, especially ones who feel are sort of misfits in their day life and they get to be included with likeminded people. And a huge joy in that, definitely, an egalitarianism.’

Enjoy! I’ve not seen his Kilgrave yet but definitely plan to once it is more widely available.

21 thoughts on “Dear David about fans and work”

  1. I loved this interview. I think DT interviews very well. I tried to watch Jessica Jones because he was in it, but I stopped after about 4 episodes. I may go back to it at some point. He’s positively devilish.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Yes, he likes a good chat and doesn’t need much prodding 🙂 This reads exactly as he sounds in person when he is invited to some talks, saw one on Richard II just before the run finished here. I and i like the way he thinks (he seems to be one of the many artistic Scots who i like and who have strong opinions which they also express well). And his view of fans and treatment of them is just endearing.

      Like

      • My interest in him started as RA related. When RA did Hamlet: A Novel, I checked out Aj Hartley, who had written an article about the Dr. Who Hamlet, with Tennant. So, I watched all of his Dr. Who episodes ( including the season before he started – I’d never seen it before), and then the Hamlet on video, and I got sort of hooked. Sometimes he plays very goofy roles, but he does evil pretty well (Politician’s Husband, for ex, and a BBC thing where he was a psychopathic stalker.) He sure gets a lot of work. As an RA fan, I’m a bit jealous of his success and continual, non-stop, employment.

        Like

        • oh i don’t know about continuous employment, the film stuff has been meh at best, the only really good things in film format have been with the BBC. The Escape Artist is however a couple of years back now.
          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Tennant
          Did you know he nearly was in Hannibal as Lecter? 😉
          He, and everyone in it, got lucky with Broadchurch which was an exceptional piece of TV writing. People tend to think it’s the Doctor which gave him the boost but it’s not really. He’s done stage before and continually and that’s the main backbone of his employment. Tv and film have been very on and off. But in between all that he’s always done theatre, radio drama and voicing documentaries.. here. It’s been his choice to do that and stick with theatre throughout it, which around here provides more opportunities of employment. He’s never said no to much at the BBC from what i can tell 🙂 most of it not being high profile work.

          Like

    • i’m tempted by JJ but not enough to buy a Netflix subscription for it alone as i might not like the series overall, i don’t mind all the superhero stuff just not the biggest fan of it. I have seen him do evil before and it was surprisingly scary.

      Like

      • I kept watching for a while because they filmed a few sequences in Tribeca, and I recognized the street right away – saw my former hairdresser’s salon right there, and got a kick out of it.

        Liked by 1 person

  2. He’s a sweetie, there’s no doubt 😀 Did you ever see Blackpool? Available on DVD, I’m pretty sure. Odd and completely brilliant, with a fantastic cast including DT. Oh, and it’s a musical… 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    • oh… that’s maybe why i haven’t seen it 😉 it vaguely sounds familiar in terms of title, maybe i will go in search of it 🙂
      I’ve seen him playing some evil chaps, never knew before that he could be so utterly scary, shudders.
      I like him a lot, besides being a great actor he’s just so normal and down to earth and common sense and nice 🙂

      Like

    • Yes, and very genuine from what i have seen live. He does as he talks 🙂
      Oh, i sort of got into Dr Who because of him, everyone around here has ‘their’ Doctor, he’s mine 😉 But it was seeing him live on stage which convinced me, he really is good, so he’s become one of many i enjoy seeing live in London if i get the chance 🙂

      Like

      • I used to watch Doctor Who (back in the day when it was hard to see in the US); Tom Baker is probably “my” Doctor. I haven’t watched any of the recent episodes. Judiang really loves him, though.

        Liked by 1 person

        • i know 😉 Capaldi is good i think, more in the line of Baker and the older Doctors, it was a good change. But not sure where it will go, in hindsight i think Russel might have been a better writer for Dr Who than Moffat was long term although i am sure many people will disagree.

          Like

          • I don’t care for Capaldi’s vibe but I probably lost my connection to the concepts of the series in all the years I wasn’t watching it. I have also heard horrible things about misogynist writing since the reboot which quite frankly put me off as well. I have enough of that in reality, I don’t need it in my entertainment 🙂

            Liked by 1 person

            • oh that’s certainly not true 🙂 quite the contrary actually and i have watched them all, call it homework 😉 I don’t have the emotion for it as i did with David’s Doctor and i think it’s got way too ‘insider’ ‘fan base’ directer for my general liking. I like some of Capaldi but have struggled with the story lined, i think a change of writer was in order, so we’ll see where it goes. I’m a bit past the age and interests where this would be my main thing to watch actors in, i’d much rather see people on stage and so on 😉 I wouldn’t re-watch the Dr Who with David for example, but as a friend of mine put it, i’d watch absolutely anything he would choose to do on stage. He’s likely to be back on it soon anyway.

              Like

            • People I really respect and take seriously have that opinion, and it’s widely held among female fans of the series in the US. I posted an article in my FB timeline about the writer retirement and there was general jubilation among female friends who are series fans! In the end, I’m not interested enough to do the research myself. So much stuff to consume, so little time 🙂

              Liked by 1 person

  4. Peinlich, peinlich – ich musste doch gerade mal nachschauen wen DT in Harry Potter gespielt hat 😦 Den hatte ich gar nicht auf dem Schirm….
    Ich mochte ihn in Dr. Who, allerdings ist das nicht so wirklich meine Serie. In Broadchurch ist er mir ein bisschen zu abgehoben tragisch, aber macht ja nix, er scheint ein richtig netter Kerl zu sein 🙂
    Danke für die Ausschnitte aus dem Interview ❤

    Liked by 1 person

  5. He is great because he seems like a sweet human being in real life, but can do a good villain. Admired his Hamlet, absolutely vibrating with tension. I’ve not seen his Doctor, but he seems like a natural. The only sustained period when I watched the Doctor was Tom Baker and Peter Davison, both of whom I liked even though they were so different to each other.

    Liked by 2 people

Comments are closed.