Doctor Who 12th Wishlist - 13 Probable, Plausible And Impossible Replacements For Matt Smith
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7. Eamonn Walker
Put Chicago Fire out of your mind. Wipe away Tears of the Sun. Ignore The Whole Truth. Yes, Walker might want to consider firing his agent, but his arguably poor career choices do not reflect his majestic talent and nimble versatility. Its not every actor that can ham it up as a gay, Jamaican housekeeper in the BBC sitcom In Sickness and in Health, and then turn around and play the powerful, magnetic Muslim leader, Kareem Said, in HBOs Oz. And then theres his strutting, threatening and yet somehow warm and sympathetic portrayal of Howlin Wolf in Cadillac Records
WHY HIM: I know what youre thinking: Why choose Eamonn Walker over the arguably similar fan favorite, Idris Elba? Simple. I love Stringer Bell, but the fact is, Walker is the better actor and has a broader range. No question, Elba is intense, imposing and quietly tragic. But Walker is also all those things, plus he can blaze with the kind of fiery conviction that has been the hallmark of so many great Doctors, he has a spry comic agility that he rarely gets to express, and he exudes a commanding dignity the likes of which we havent seen since Tom Baker. (You know that Appreciate it!?! speech Baker gives in the Douglas Adams penned episode, ThePirate Planet? Imagine Idris Elba delivering that speech. Now, imagine Eamonn Walker. You see what I mean?)
SEE HIM IN: Check out some YouTube clips of Walker as Winston in In Sickness and in Health and then watch the first season of Oz. Yeah, thats the same guy