Doctor Who: 10 Actors Who Should Play The Valeyard

6. Charles Dance

Charles Dance Shakespearean thespian Dance belongs to a school of British villain actors who command the utmost respect (and indeed the same group who inspired the slightly reductive joke that Hollywood would only cast classically trained British actors in high-profile villain roles.) Over the years he has played a number of high-profile darker roles, including the Phantom Of The Opera, and Tywin Lannister in Game Of Thrones, proving his ability to handle both the theatricality and the considerable logistic demands required of the role, but his finest malevolence came with Last Action Hero. Though the Schwarzenegger-starring, Shane Black-penned action homage is widely panned by at least half the film-loving world, Dance's performance is almost universally cherished. It is a portrait of villainy from the classical school, informed by Dance's acting experience, and very cleverly balanced between perverse likability and skin-crawling hatred, which simultaneously skirts the land of pop culture, which of course would be wonderfully valuable experience coming into Who. Dance needs the opportunity to play another villain without as many ensemble distractions as he faces on Game Of Thrones, and his prowess deserves a face-off of the quality that The Doctor would guarantee.
Contributor
Contributor

WhatCulture's former COO, veteran writer and editor.