#every time he's low/highkey a marxist would be on there | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

variousqueerthings · 8 months

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@autistic-puffin tomorrow we hit nine's regeneration and in honour of that my partner and I are going to watch all of the special behind-the-scenes for season one before we get fully into the tragedy of ten, because we own all the boxsets (in fact, I own a boxset from 2006 that is squared out to look even more like the tardis -- it's... very well-used shall we say, we do not use it for watching, but keep it with fondness) and therefore all the special features! up until s7 anyway. (I might get the rest, because I definitely want capaldi's last season + whittakers, and it wouldn't be complete with the ones leading up to that)

and tonight we watched an interview that eccleston did ahead of the launch and it just cannot be overstated how gracious this man seems to be/have been about playing this role and what it meant:

some highlights:

he said that he was hoping he might be the first doctor to a generation of 8-12 year olds at the time and I almost cried, because I was 10/11 at that point, and he was, he succeeded

I mention that because I know that for years he kind of felt like he didn't, and he's self-effacing (a bit comedically, but I wish he wouldn't be) in the interview too, preparing almost for a bad reaction

he did mention that a couple of early reviews hadn't been kind, and that it hurt and I just!!!! you don't understand!!!! you became part of the trajectory of my life!!!! you're one of the reasons I love stories my guy!!!!!! you were great!!!!!!

he said he quite liked the whovians (although he seemed unsure if that was or wasn't a polite term 😂) because they don't ask about your private life, they ask what it's like to be a time traveller and about the tardis

he mentioned that a big change was that it was attempting to move away from a patriarchal model of the doctor and the helpless "assistant" and that rtd was good at writing women (he's said that several times, but I like how open he was about that opinion in 2005 when you don't even really hear many actors today use words like that)

he also - and I found this charming - admitted that apart from some of the things like regeneration and the reveal of what a dalek really looked like, he wasn't so big into doctor who, because he didn't have a "camp sensibility." it just tickled me that he used that phrasing, because it's such an accurate identifier of that early low-budget (set wobbling, as he called it) aesthetic. kind of hinted he was more of a trekkie😂 which you know. I'd call that a camp sensibility too, just differently

at one point the interviewer directly asked him about whether he'd regenerate at the end and he eloquently avoided answering the question, but I do always feel that pang that he really did all the legwork of reestablishing this iconic character, only to not feel quite... welcome. for a long time. I know he's since (I believe) more embraced that his turn is iconic to so many of us, but it's sad to see it in the moment

he said he took the role because rtd is a great writer, because it was challenging sexism in the writing of female characters, and because he'd always been told he was too serious and "not funny or charming" -- me + my partner + her husband like "YOU'RE SO CHARMING!!!!!! SLANDER!!!!!"

it's very funny being someone for whom the doctor was your first eccleston role, only to later on watch his other stuff and be like... let my boy be whimsical dammit! he's so good at it!

#christopher eccleston #dw #doctor who #thank you so much for the work you did #it paid of it really really did #i should do a list of favourite nine stuff before we get into ten #every time he's low/highkey a marxist would be on there

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