Jodie Whittaker is planning to leave the country when 'Doctor Who' airs.

Jodie Whittaker

Jodie Whittaker

The 36-year-old actress claims she's heading off on holiday when her first episode in the lead role of the sci-fi saga hit screens on October 7 so she doesn't have to worry about what people say about her performance as the first female Doctor.

She told Britain's Marie Claire magazine: "[I'll be] somewhere far away, so I don't watch it in the same time zone.

"I'll be turning my phone off and hoping for the best!"

Though she is the first female Doctor, Jodie insists her gender doesn't really matter because the TIme Lord is an alien being.

She explained: "This job celebrates change more than any other role - you have a physical regeneration, so casting [a woman] supports that story and doesn't go against the rules of the show in any way.

"I'm playing a Time Lord who's essentially an alien and inhabits different bodies and this one is female.

"The best thing for me though is that, for the first time in my life, I am not playing a stereotypical woman because as much as I approach everything as an actor, I am continually labelled by the female version of that character."

The 'Broadchurch' actress wasn't a big fan of the saga when she was growing up, so she felt relieved that programme chiefs didn't expect her to research into its history too much.

She said: "I feel like I've been handed this amazing world and they've let me be like a kid in a toy shop and go off with it.

"'Doctor Who' wasn't something that was on TV in my house when I was growing up, so I thought I'd have to cane it before the first audition and watch every single episode.

"Thankfully, Chris [Chibnall, the producer] said, 'I don't want you to. I want you to come in with fresh eyes and bring what you would do in this environment.'"


Tagged in