10 American Actors for Doctor Who

For starters, it's practically heresy to imagine the 'Time Lord' speaking in anything other than his intended 'tongue' that nearly always ends up being British thanks to his companions of choice. For the uninitiated, Doctor Who is a BBC sci-fi series featuring a quirky, eccentric genius of a time traveler who travels in his 'TARDIS' (actually a time machine, which doubles up as a Police Box, a vestige of mid-20th century British culture). He almost always has a 'companion' by his side, he has been traveling around television for the past 50 years (2013 being the year of Doctor Who's 50th anniversary) and he is a bit south of being nine hundred years old.

     And yet, although Doctor Who is a veritable 'British' property, the show's premise itself lends a lot of fanboy footroom for imagination. After all, the Doctor is an 'alien' time lord, and he NEVER necessarily speaks English, thanks to a pre-installed 'Translation Circuit' that enables travelers to speak in their own tongue while the time machine graciously acts as the invisible interpreter. No wonder Matt Smith's 'Eleventh Doctor' calls the TARDIS 'sexy'!

     Thus, the show's language barrier surpassed, the show itself presents yet another interesting 'loop' that has saved the writers of the show time and time again! The Doctor, immortal in essence, has the capacity to regenerate upon lethal attack (or any other anomaly that might occur). Thus, the show has seen 11 Doctors so far (and a couple of unofficial ones), and they range from the (latest) 28 year old Matt Smith to William Hartnell, who was 55.

     So we are practically arming ourselves for backlash and presenting our choices for the top American actors to bring to life this legendary British icon. An accursed Hollywood remake had been the fodder for rumor once in a while, and David Yates' ludicrous suggestion for a 'reboot' put aside, Doctor Who is in safe hands for now. Let's hope this article manages to entertain, NOT predict!
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   1. Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp

     Let's face it: we've seen him change our world as (Captain) Jack Sparrow, rivet us with the wacky Willy Wonka and it would be entirely unwise to predict that he wouldn't be AWESOME as the Doctor as well. Charming, secretive, with the quirky passion for things even he isn't sure about and basically, a quintessential 'boy with a toy', the Doctor seems to have been tailor-suited for a Depp bodice. In all fairness, it wouldn't be unfair to say that all Depp needs is to shake off his tattered pirate garb and put on a carnival suit and he would be perfect for the ride. So imagine when Depp starts 'working' on the Doctor in his own way. Does sound delicious, eh?

     In fact, the rumor mills started churning about three years ago in 2010 when speculations surfaced that Depp was set to portray the Doctor in a motion picture, a rumor that was crushed by BBC soon after. Maybe it would be a fantasy that wasn't to be, but Johnny Depp does remain the default choice for playing the Doctor.
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     2. Dustin Hoffman

 

Dustin Hoffman

     Among the ridiculously great American actors in their sunset years, Dustin Hoffman is without doubt a name that commands an immense amount of respect. With his repertoire of classic films such as The Graduate, Rain Man and even the wonderful Dorothy Michaels out of Tootsie or as Ted Kramer battling it out with Meryl Streep in a courtroom, Dustin Hoffman has re-ascerted his versatility time and time again! 

     So when we do speak of an American Doctor, can we leave this Academy Award Winner far behind? Somehow, Dustin has perfected that out-of-the-way, trippy nuance to a character that has been the staple for the majority of Doctor Who players. 

     To cap it off, it is debatable whether any other A-lister in Dustin's age-bracket can pull off that child that we so love in our 900 year-old Doctor!



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     3. David Duchovny

David Duchovny

     
     Let's face it: America (and consequently, the rest of the world) is already accustomed to a show where this man goes looking for aliens and solves mysteries, with a smoking hot partner to boot! Doctor Who will require him to play an Alien too, as a matter of fact, and he will have a sidekick/partner but the best thing about it? He surely won't spend so many seasons searching for lost (abducted?) next of kins. 

     Maybe The X-Files veteran Duchovny can even bring a whiff of his 'Californication' menace to the Doctor. The 'Mulder' of X-Files is too bland to be any incarnation of a Doctor, but maybe Californication's crazy author Hank has just enough crazy in him to board a spaceship and fly into a vortex.

     Well, as long as David doesn't turn the TARDIS into a bachelor pad, eh? Surely 'Sexy' won't allow that!
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     4. John Lithgow 

John Lithgow

     This fantastic American actor, mostly known for being Dick Solomon from '3rd Rock from the Sun' is perhaps the only person in this list who can actually pull off Doctor Who with elan. It doesn't take a genius of a casting director to tell that Lithgow would be perfect as the Doctor. Eccentric and raggedy to the T, his 3rd Rock run is still one of the funniest runs among American sitcoms. 

     Add to that the Shakespearean and Tony Award-winning veteran with impressive on-screen presence as the menacing serial killer Arthur Mitchell in 'Dexter' or the deliciously dangerous Eric Qualen in the Stallone-starrer Cliffhanger.  We have devoured David Tennant's half-menacing run as the Doctor. At least on paper, Lithgow seems to promise something just as riveting!  
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     5. Jamie Foxx

Jamie Foxx

     Yes yes, let the brickbats loose. But let's face it: very few actors can come close to what this man has already achieved in his career. From the brooding 'Django' to the brilliant and cathartic Ray Charles, this man has pushed boundaries time and time again! 

     As the Doctor, it would be interesting to see how Foxx adapts and experiments and gets under the skin of the eccentric, genius of a time traveler. As far as science fiction is concerned, Jamie Foxx has reportedly signed on with Syfy to write, work as executive producer and direct a Horror Anthology come Halloween 2013. 
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     6. James Franco

James Franco

     For starters, James Franco is already slated to be a 'Doctor'. Presently pursuing PhD from Yale, Hollywood heartthrob James Franco has the disarming charm of a child and a glint of intelligence in his eyes. It's relatively easy to imagine Franco as a devilishly handsome incarnation of the Doctor. 

     From his recent stint in Oz to a stoner in 'Pineapple Express' or an inhumanly resilient Aron Ralston in Danny Boyle's 127 hours, Franco has sailed through one tough flight after another.

     Add to that the man's impressive education and you might have the perfect Hollywood face for essaying the Doctor. 

     You just have to make sure the 'makers' of the piece doesn't end up stuffing this piece of talent into a crumbling pile of 'art' such as Spiderman 3!

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     7. Sigourney Weaver 

     

Sigourney Weaver

In 2006, then Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies had half-seriously mused upon a desire to rope in Weaver to be a female 'Doctor Who': "I would love to get a gripping US star like Sigourney Weaver. But you often get an actor who says, 'I would love to be in it,' and then you have to speak to the agent."

     Well, Man has moved out of dark ages and since the profession that carries the title 'Doctor' is no longer limited to men, the questions being raised about a female Doctor cannot be simply ignored for ever. 

     Maybe the world won't see a badass female Doctor Who like the charming and deadly Sigourney Weaver, but the idea of a female doctor dates back to the 1980s, although no woman has ever been cast except Arabella Weir for a non-canonical audio play. 

     In a 2012 interview, Matt Smith, the present Doctor had admitted that it be probably be some time before we do see this idea materializing. However, he added, he would love to see Charlize Theron being cast as the Doctor! We stick to Weaver! 
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     8. Joseph Gordon-Levitt

     

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

The second '3rd Rock' alumni in the list, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been the staple for any such fantasy lists for nearly every topic under the sun! And the 'Inception' star can very well fit the shoes of an alien Time Lord too. 

     Playing coolness and goofing it up at the same time with elan, Levitt has recently graduated to bigshot Hollywood films following his turn with Chris Nolan in Inception. Since then, he has already featured in Nolan's 'The Dark Knight Rises', 'Premium Rush' as well as 'Looper'. 

     But for Levitt, the nerd doesn't seem to be quite beneath his skin and hopefully, he's still 'sexy' enough for the TARDIS!
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     9. John Cusack

      

John Cusack

Fresh off the heels of portraying Edgar Allan Poe in 'The Raven', Cusack has proved time and time again his mettle in dealing with that slightly different character. From the cult classic 'Say Anything' to the trippy 'Bullets over Broadway' or the mind-boggling 1408, Cusack is just short of putting on a the Doctor's suit!

     Sure he has been part of a few bad movies (say 2012), but that cannot take away the performances that define him, unlike our no. 10 choices, who have perfected the art of 'bad cinema'! 
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     10. Tyler Perry/Adam Sandler

   

Tyler Perry and Adam Sandler

     Yes, our list officially ends here since there is no freaking way BBC will allow any offshore Film Company to manufacture Doctor Who (at least, not anytime soon)
     And the problem with America is, there is always a chance of the Goods falling into the wrong hands. So even if we rue the idea of NOT seeing a John Lithgow or Sigourney Weaver as the Doctor, let's heave a sigh of relief that we do NOT have to see any other Popular American stars as Doctor Who either. 

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