David Tennant -An Actor of My Generation

There are many actors and actresses that I truly admire for their talent: Liam Neeson, Meryl Streep, Kenneth Branagh, and Helen Mirren just to name a few.

But these actors are from an older generation - a few of them old enough to be my parents.

I have thought for a few years that there was not a single actor from my generation that had the versatility to portray various characters. A few have come close - Johnny Depp and George Clooney, but none have come as close as David Tennant.

For 4 years, Mr. Tennant has been a staple on British television portraying the lead role in the BBC series Doctor Who. While on hiatus from playing the tenth Time Lord, he has filled his time portraying a number of different roles. From a man suffering from a traumatic brain injury in Recovery, to tackling Shakespeare's Hamlet on stage at the Royal Shakespeare Company. the latter has recently aired on BBC.

I must admit that when I watch this extremely talented actor, I find myself engrossed in any character he portrays. It's not his looks that make me enjoy the roles he plays (although this is a great advantage), but it's the fact that he brings so much of the boundless energy, humor, rage, sadness, and, dare I say joy to the role that it leaves me with a range of emotions that no other actor has been able to bring out of me.

On Friday, 1 January 2010 David takes his final bow as the Doctor in what is sure to be not only epic but emotional, not just for him (as he has stated on several ocassions that this was his dream role to play), but for loyal viewers all over the world who jump online to download it minutes after it goes off on BBC rather than wait until it airs locally.

*WARNING* IF YOU HAVE BEEN LIVING UNDER A ROCK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN AND HAVEN'T WATCHED THE FIRST PART OF THE END OF TIME, WTF ARE YOU DOING HERE??? THERE BE SPOILERS BELOW! GO WATCH AND COME BACK!

I had mentioned on Twitter that, "A true sign of a great actor is 1 who can not only radiate emotion thru words but n actions as well. DT IS that actor."

That being said, as I sat and watched the first part of his final episodes as the Tenth Doctor, there are scenes where you can see David - the actor - playing the character -no words-just actions. Moving about the TARDIS, sensing what's happening and knowing that the Master is returning. Then there is That scene - the one where I as a fan of the tenth Doctor literally felt the most pain and heartache since he wiped Donna's memory (and to the Rose fans out there, don't worry, I like Rose but it is my firm belief that Donna was the most loyal companion even before the metacrisis). The scene in the cafe I wanted to (and did - twice) cry not just for him but with him as the Doctor spoke with Wilf of his impending death. There was the confrontation in the wastelands where he just stood - bravely, defiantly, glaring at the Master and ready for anything.

Although there have been various reviews (WTF being in most of them), I am content to say that eventhough there were several moments in the program where I was shaking my head in confusion (and also saying WTF), I found it to be well written and directed. After watching the series for the past 4 years, I feel that Russell T. Davies, the outgoing writer for the longest running science fiction program EVER (Take that Battlestar Galactica & Stargate), will do good by the fans and set things up to end properly and with a great deal of tears.