Shake it up, Mr. Lyon. Shake it up

[sovay]

I wasn't expecting him, but I am perfectly fine with Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor. He's not a chameleon, except insofar as he's shockingly young in Local Hero (1983) if you noticed him first in Torchwood (2009), but he's an actor I watch out for. The Angel Islington, John Frobisher, Danny Oldsen, Angus Flint, Malcolm Tucker, Randall Brown; I'll be very curious to see what he does with this role. Especially if it means I get to see him and John Hurt in scenes together.

Comments

[kraada.livejournal.com]

My only issue with him is that the same actor has already been cast in the DW universe - in Children of Earth - and not in a bit part kind of way. I'm sure I'll be totally fine with him after a little while, just, it makes things a little strange.

Though they could do something fun by having him meet Frobisher and then I'd probably be fine with it :)

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

The actors playing One, Two and Six also played other parts in the DW universe; I suspect there may be some "regenerating timelords take the appearance of other people" handwave going on.

[sovay]

I suspect there may be some "regenerating timelords take the appearance of other people" handwave going on.

I don't see why there even needs to be a handwave! Audiences at this point should be able to grasp the idea of an actor who plays more than one character within a long-running franchise.

[sovay]

My only issue with him is that the same actor has already been cast in the DW universe - in Children of Earth - and not in a bit part kind of way.

Huh. That doesn't seem to matter to me at all.

Do you mind if I ask why it's an issue?

[kraada.livejournal.com]

If James Marsters had been recast as a different character (and a good guy!) in Angel it would have been equally weird. Or to pick a different fandom, if Joshua Cox or Andrea Thompson had been recast in Crusade, it would've been strange. It'd add a layer of cognitive dissonance that would pull me out of the story. Instead of thinking about what's going on, I'd be reminding myself that the actor is playing someone else now. As I had to repeatedly when Benedict Cumberbatch was fighting Zachary Quinto in the latest Trek movie. (That's also not meant to knock Cumberbatch or Quinto particularly, though Cumberbatch seemed almost typecast, which makes the distinction harder.)

It's easier to set up the divide between actor and role when it's in totally separate universes. Patrick Stewart will always be Captain Picard . . . but also Professor Xavier. However, I can't imagine anyone ever taking seriously a Trek movie (or new show) recasting Stewart in some other role in the Trek universe. It would just be wrong.

I admit I have not seen Capaldi in anything else; it is possible if I had I would not have this concern in his particular case, and certainly Capaldi's role in Children of Earth was not Picard-level important. But it was important enough that the face could immediately be called to name, and role was memorable. So it's enough to give me pause at least -- I'd much rather have had an actor who I'd never heard of so that there'd be this totally new Doctor to get used to.

I'm just worried that seeing him as Frobisher is going to take away the emotional punch of the first few episodes. And if that happened, it would be a shame.

(Though no matter what, obviously, I'll just have to get used to him one way or another, and in a few years it'll be someone else. Probably Cumberbatch the way he's ending up in everything.)