Thread: Why Eccleston left?
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21st Jul 2011, 7:59 AM #1
Why Eccleston left?
An intersting read: http://badwilf.co.uk/?p=820
In an acting master class at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, Christopher Eccleston was asked why he left a such a high paid job as Doctor Who. He responded:
“I left Doctor Who because I could not get along with the senior people. I left because of politics. I did not see eye-to-eye with them. I didn’t agree with the way things were being run. I didn’t like the culture that had grown up, around the series. So I left, I felt, over a principle.
“I thought to remain, which would have made me a lot of money and given me huge visibility, the price I would have had to pay was to eat a lot of shit. I’m not being funny about that. I didn’t want to do that and it comes to the art of it, in a way. I feel that if you run your career and– we are vulnerable as actors and we are constantly humiliating ourselves auditioning. But if you allow that to go on, on a grand scale you will lose whatever it is about you and it will be present in your work.
“If you allow your desire to be successful and visible and financially secure – if you allow that to make you throw shades on your parents, on your upbringing, then you’re knackered. You’ve got to keep something back, for yourself, because it’ll be present in your work. A purity or an idealism is essential or you’ll become– you’ve got to have standards, no matter how hard work that is. So it makes it a hard road, really.
“You know, it’s easy to find a job when you’ve got no morals, you’ve got nothing to be compromised, you can go, ‘Yeah, yeah. That doesn’t matter. That director can bully that prop man and I won’t say anything about it’. But then when that director comes to you and says ‘I think you should play it like this’ you’ve surely got to go ‘How can I respect you, when you behave like that?’
“So, that’s why I left. My face didn’t fit and I’m sure they were glad to see the back of me. The important thing is that I succeeded. It was a great part. I loved playing him. I loved connecting with that audience. Because I’ve always acted for adults and then suddenly you’re acting for children, who are far more tasteful; they will not be bullshitted. It’s either good, or it’s bad. They don’t schmooze at after-show parties, with cocktails.”
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21st Jul 2011, 8:06 AM #2
Which tacitly confirms his falling out with a director on set. It also confirms the 'He was only ever going to be here for a season' RTD response as nothing more than PR spin to save face.
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21st Jul 2011, 9:11 AM #3
Hmmm. Several things leap out there.
But then when that director comes to you and says ‘I think you should play it like this’ you’ve surely got to go ‘How can I respect you, when you behave like that?’
They don’t schmooze at after-show parties, with cocktails.
I didn’t like the culture that had grown up, around the series.
I respect him for his principles but somehow it doesn't add up. If he didn't get on with the director, why would he quit? There were 13 episodes that year and who-ever director he disliked only did a couple?
It sounds very much like he disliked the whole package that went with being the Doctor, namely doing the chat shows, the promotional appearances etc. I don't see David Tennant as a man with few ethics, and he seems to have coped with degrading himself by being the Doctor just fine. Maybe the most telling quote here is "my face didn't fit". Maybe his personality just didn't fit the lifestyle that goes with being a Doctor.
Si.
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21st Jul 2011, 9:33 AM #4
That's not what he was saying, though, was it? He's not complaining about being told what to do, he's complaining about not being able to respect the man who's telling him what to do because he's seen him bullying other members of the crew.
There were 13 episodes that year and who-ever director he disliked only did a couple?
I think at the end of the day Eccleston is a great actor, but perhaps not personally suited to a role like the Doctor.
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21st Jul 2011, 9:44 AM #5
If you don't like your boss and you are the star of the show, isn't it at least worth trying to get it resolved with the producer, rather than resigning? Maybe he did. Though I think the Director never returned. Maybe he resigned for nothing.
Si.
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21st Jul 2011, 9:53 AM #6I left Doctor Who because I could not get along with the senior people. I left because of politics. I did not see eye-to-eye with them.
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21st Jul 2011, 9:54 AM #7
I do kind of respect him for his stance and his ethics. But wonder if anyone else's seen him in The Dark Is Rising?
Remember, just because Davros is dead doesn't mean the Dalek menace has been contained ......
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21st Jul 2011, 10:08 AM #8
Very interesting stuff. I find myself liking Eccleston more and more over this.
I distinctly remember him saying that the reason he did Doctor Who was because he wanted to work with Russell again, so it seems unlikely that he resigned because of the Executive producer's attitude. If it was only one director that he was upset with, then surely he would have accepted that directors come and go. So I reckon that there must have been other people in the senior team who he didn't get on with.
Of course, it's only speculation!
It sounds to me like he did try to get things sorted - remember, the shooting for the show went on for months and by the end he was clearly relishing being the Doctor.
The other possibility is that RTD became a complete tyrant when he was put in charge of Doctor Who. Giving his amazing ability to be positive about almost everything this is unlikely, but not impossible.
Does any of this really matter? No, but it's absolutely fascinating.
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21st Jul 2011, 10:11 AM #9
that's the impression I get - Chris, has been in the acting business long enough to know that it's a directors job to suggest and ask the actors to do things differently and put more emotion into certain scenes so I don't for one minute believe Chris has a problem with that.
“I left Doctor Who because I could not get along with the senior people. I left because of politics. I did not see eye-to-eye with them. I didn’t agree with the way things were being run. I didn’t like the culture that had grown up, around the series. So I left, I felt, over a principle.
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21st Jul 2011, 11:15 AM #10
It matters in terms of him not coming back, which I'm sure will be all our loss.
Si.
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21st Jul 2011, 11:20 AM #11
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“If you allow your desire to be successful and visible and financially secure – if you allow that to make you throw shades on your parents, on your upbringing, then you’re knackered. You’ve got to keep something back, for yourself, because it’ll be present in your work. A purity or an idealism is essential or you’ll become– you’ve got to have standards, no matter how hard work that is. So it makes it a hard road, really.
Interesting article. And I remember when Chris appeared on Blue Peter, one of the presenters (I think it was Barney) tried on the Doctor's jacket and it looked like Chris was going to thump him! Thanks for your work on the show Chris, but seriously? A problem with the top people but no problems working on big American dumbass films like "Gone In 60 Seconds" (which ok, was 5 whole years before Dr Who) where there was more pressure from the directors on prop and lighting people?
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21st Jul 2011, 11:36 AM #12and then suddenly you’re acting for children, who are far more tasteful; they will not be bullshitted. It’s either good, or it’s bad. They don’t schmooze at after-show parties, with cocktails.”
Glad this has finally come out, RTD's explanations were rather insulting, frankly (imo).
I distinctly remember him saying that the reason he did Doctor Who was because he wanted to work with Russell again, so it seems unlikely that he resigned because of the Executive producer's attitude. If it was only one director that he was upset with, then surely he would have accepted that directors come and go. So I reckon that there must have been other people in the senior team who he didn't get on with.Last edited by Perry Vale; 21st Jul 2011 at 11:56 AM.
“If my sons did not want wars, there would be none.” - Gutle Schnaper Rothschild
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21st Jul 2011, 12:05 PM #13
Perhaps - According to his Wiki page, Mal Young left the BBC for Simon Cowell's production company after 2004. So he only did the one year on Doctor Who then. I can't recall him turning up on Confidential and I've got no idea what he even looks like. But it's a dangerous hobby, trying to guess people's personalities from their DW:C appearances.
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21st Jul 2011, 12:36 PM #14
The tide is turning to reveal that, in fact, Eccleston did leave (add "them in the lurch" if you want to cast a not-that-wild interpretation on it) rather than it being "the plan all along" which was previously an option. But, hang on, didn't he get in a strop at the time when the BBC released a statement and claimed this was the case?
Si.
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21st Jul 2011, 12:40 PM #15
No, as I recall he got in a strop because the news reports suggested he couldn't cope with the schedule, and it was making him ill (or something along those lines). He quite rightly, imo, maintained this was harmful to his career, and might make potential employers not offer him jobs because of it.
From a BBC news report on March 31st 2005...
An initial statement issued by the BBC said Eccleston feared being typecast and had found the series gruelling - although the BBC later accepted the statement was not correct and said it had not spoken to Eccleston before releasing it.
A BBC spokesman said it had hoped, rather than expected, that Eccleston would continue in the role.“If my sons did not want wars, there would be none.” - Gutle Schnaper Rothschild
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21st Jul 2011, 12:44 PM #16
Oh, sorry, I was misremembering.
Si.
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21st Jul 2011, 2:03 PM #17
well I'd like to bet the preasure and interference/politics from the "senior people" on the American, networks is far worse than it is in the Uk, in fact it's not unkown for shows in America to be cancelled because a programms producer didn't get on with the "senior people".
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21st Jul 2011, 2:33 PM #18
As we don't know the exact nature of Eccleston's problems with the "senior people" on DW, it seems to me to be a pretty pointless excercise to try and compare it to working on a $90 million American blockbuster movie. Especially one that Eccleston wasn't the major lead/star in, like he was on DW.
“If my sons did not want wars, there would be none.” - Gutle Schnaper Rothschild
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21st Jul 2011, 4:39 PM #19
Strikes me this is a touch of the Toms all over again after he left. Wait til he's old and grey and then he'll jump at the....well maybe not.
Creator of Doctor WHeasel and sometime political radical
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21st Jul 2011, 6:27 PM #20
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21st Jul 2011, 6:40 PM #21they've raised the bar too high...
I'm quite pleased to hear him say "It was a great part. I loved playing him." Other than that, this only seems to be adding a little more detail to rumours/speculation that have been around for a while.
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21st Jul 2011, 8:31 PM #22
What does "throw shades" mean?
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21st Jul 2011, 8:36 PM #23
He does seem to be harping on about this quite a lot lately. Given other people have managed to play the Doctor for 50 years without a problem, maybe it's time he got over it?
Si.
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21st Jul 2011, 8:43 PM #24
Well he was asked.
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22nd Jul 2011, 9:32 AM #25
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