David Tennant Talks To The Scots Magazine “Acting is about walking in another’s shoes”


David Tennant is featured in the current issue of The Scots Magazine (March 2019).
The interview is to promote his role as Scottish minister John Knox in the historical blockbuster Mary Queen Of Scots.
In the interview David reflects on his own Presbyterian upbringing
“I’m very grateful for the roles I’ve been able to play, and I’m glad things are going well for me now but I never allow myself to become too pleased with myself! It’s not in my nature. I’m too wracked with guilt in every corner of my life. It’s my Presbyterian background. It’s all connected isn’t it? That sense that you’re not worthy and therefore have to prove your worth, and not get above your station. I’m always worried that my good fortune won’t last!”

He also talks about what he gains personally from the roles he takes on:
“Acting is about walking in another’s shoes, that’s why it continues to appeal to me as a way of getting through life. I simply hope that whenever I spend some time in a character's shoes that his good points will rub off on me. when I’m playing a father, I try to gain some insights which will help me in my own parenting skills. I would like to think that I have learnt something which will make me a better father.”

And about his most famous role to date as the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who:
“I was fascinated by Doctor Who since I was a boy, so being given the chance to step into the role was the fulfilment of a dream. I was carrying on a tradition and I was honoured to play that part. Doctor Who is part of our cultural heritage and stepping into the character is being handed a gift although you need to do it justice all the same and I had a wonderful time doing it and I feel I left at the right time with the sense that we had all done our jobs very well. I never wanted to find myself losing my enthusiasm for the work.”

The full interview is available now on The Scots Magazine app.



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