Peter Capaldi opens up about Doctor Who exit: "To be at the centre of that brand is a lot of work"
The former Time Lord also said he feels guilty for enjoying his time away from the sci-fi show
You may know that former Doctor Who Star Peter Capaldi didn’t take the decision to hang up his sonic sunglasses lightly. In fact, the Twelfth Doctor shed a tear while announcing his departure on Radio 2. But what led the actor to leave the show?
Capaldi has said previously he feared his performance would suffer if he carried on, but now the star has opened up about the time pressure he felt in the role.
“Doctor Who is a great show and experience but to be at the centre of that brand is a lot of work. There’s a lot more than just acting,” he told Australia’s The Courier-Mail. “It was hard to maintain that level of commitment with that schedule any longer. I tried my best to make the Doctor come alive.”
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Now he’s handed over the Tardis controls, Capaldi said it had been nice to “disappear” for a while.
“I stopped being anything. After four years it was a great opportunity to just say I’m going to rest. I’m going to stop working,” he explained. “I’m playing guitar and going out for breakfast. I feel slightly guilty to say I’m enjoying it but I am.”
That doesn’t mean Capaldi is not excited about the upcoming series and his successor Jodie Whittaker. “She’s a wonderful actress and has a great personality. Ultimately with Doctor Who it becomes a lot about yourself rather than your acting skill,” Capaldi said.
So, good news all round: Capaldi is enjoying his time away from Who and we only have a few months now until we see Whittaker at the centre of a new series.
Doctor Who returns to BBC1 this autumn
