'Doctor Who' star Jodie Whittaker teases final regeneration monologue as a Time Lord
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Next month, Jodie Whittaker will bid farewell to the Thirteenth Time Lord in her final Doctor Who special — "The Power of the Doctor" — after three glorious seasons.
Before the TARDIS-riding hero regenerates, however, she'll get a chance to send viewers off with a couple of well-chosen words that may get the tears flowing. Prepare yourself and stock up on Kleenex. Speaking to Empire for the magazine's November issue (now on sale), Whittaker teased her final monologue, written by exiting showrunner and executive producer, Chris Chibnall. "I love the dialogue that Chris wrote for my regeneration," she said. "It captures my Doctor beautifully. It's simple, epic, and beautiful."
The actress went on to reveal that the entire moment was filmed in a single take. "When I could see the crew was happy with that last shot, that's when my bottom lip starting going," she said of the upswell of emotion. "I was like, 'Well, they can't say they need another take now because I've f—ing lost it!'"
Sex Education alum Ncuti Gwata has been tapped to portray the next incarnation, which will be overseen by returning showrunner and executive producer, Russell T. Davies, who rebooted the property all the way back in the mid-2000s. "Luckily, enough time has passed between finishing shooting and finding out about the new Doctor for me to feel just pure excitement about it," Whittaker continued. "It's inspired casting. He's gonna smash it."
Gwata — who is the first Black actor in the history of the franchise to take on the character — has absolutely nothing to worry about with the outgoing Doctor in his corner. In fact, he's apparently getting constant advice from Whittaker over the phone (and perhaps more than he bargained for). "Unfortunately for Ncuti, he gave me his phone number," she admitted, "so he's getting eight-minute monologues from me on WhatsApp."
"The Power of the Doctor" is expected to premiere on the BBC sometime in October and will feature the return of classic baddies like the Cybermen, Daleks, and Master. "It's a huge treat if you're a proper fan," Whittaker promised. "It's got all the iconic things that you associate with Doctor Who. It's massive."
A 60th anniversary celebration involving the likes of David Tennant (The Tenth Time Lord), Catherine Tate (companion Donna Noble), and Neil Patrick Harris (according to Davies, he's playing "the greatest enemy the Doctor has ever faced") kicks off next year. While it's always possible for Whittaker to make a surprise appearance, she's more excited about getting to enjoy the show as a pure fan. "Now I get to embrace it as a Whovian, just like everyone else."
If you're looking for more sci-fi to check out in the meantime, you can find shows like Eureka, Warehouse 13, Brave New World, Resident Alien, Heroes, Sliders, Supernatural Academy and more on Peacock.
