Doctor Who 12th Wishlist - 13 Probable, Plausible And Impossible Replacements For Matt Smith
10. David Thewlis
Though, for no reason I can apprehend, Thewlis has not been mentioned as often as some of the other actors on this list, I think he has the makings of a wonderful Doctor. Perhaps people associate him too closely with the world of Harry Potter, thanks to his stand-out performance as Remus Lupin in the Potter films. But if Ian McKellan can be Gandalf AND Magneto AND the voice of the Great Intelligence, theres no good reason Professor Moony cant be the Doctor
WHY HIM: An excellent, if peculiar, actor, Thewlis brings a healthy dose of natural eccentricity to the screen. His eyes can glow with boyish mischief one moment and burn with the tortures of the damned the next. All at once manic and weary, hed ably convey the Doctors age and experience, while wearing his inner childs heart on his sleeve. His brief cameo in The Big Lebowski as the erratically giggly Knox Harrington shows off his comic timing and proves hes not averse to just being silly. And then theres the voice Ever since Eccleston broke the received pronunciation barrier, its been a puzzle to me why more people havent pushed for Thewlis as the Doctor just to hear him playfully banter with his companions or righteously berate Daleks in his distinctive Lancashire accent.
-->SEE HIM IN: If you want to keep to lighter fare, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. By far the best of the Potter films, and the one in which Thewlis features most prominently. If youre looking for something darker, check out his career-making turn in Mike Leighs psychologically brutal Naked, wherein Thewlis Johnny - an aggressive, intellectual bully and self-made nihilist prophet takes us on a dark odyssey through after-hours London.