50 Actors Who Could Play the Next Doctor on Doctor Who
By Lacy Baugher
Daniel Kaluuya in Jordan Peele’s hit film “Get Out”. (Photo: Universal Pictures)
Daniel Kaluuya
Daniel Kaluuya’s first big break, like several others on this list, came in the form of a role on Channel 4’s hit teen drama Skins. He played Posh Kenneth, a memorable but unfortunately very underdeveloped character in the series’ first generation. (Fun fact: One of the reasons Kaluuya appeared onscreen so infrequently is that he was also one of the series’ writers at the time.) Other appearances include significant roles in Psychoville, The Fades, Babylon and Black Mirror. But his biggest hit to date is his starring turn in Jordan Peele’s indie horror flick Get Out, which made buckets of money at the box office. And with his role in the upcoming Marvel superhero film Black Panther, was well as the new TV adaptation of Watership Down, Kaluuya would seem to have officially “arrived.”
As an actor, Kaluuya definitely deserves all this success. He’s extremely talented and, as you can see from his resume, capable of playing any kind of role from comedy to scifi to straight drama. He’s done a little bit of everything, and done it all well. It’s rare to find an actor that feels truly exciting to watch – but Kaluuya definitely does. His decisions, both in terms of roles and decisions while playing them, feel very unconventional, and that’s exciting to watch. What kind of Doctor would he be? It’s impossible to guess. But he’d definitely make the role his own. And he ticks all the necessary “casting” boxes – young, good-looking, up-and-coming star with a semi-recognizable name that’s still not too big that taking on the role of the Doctor wouldn’t feel like a step up.
Kaluuya has appeared on Doctor Who before, playing Barclay in the 2009 special episode “Planet of the Dead”. Which, as we all know, isn’t really a deal breaker when it comes to coming back. It worked out okay for Peter Capaldi and Karen Gillan after all. (And let’s be real: “Planet of the Dead” is kind of a terrible episode. Most of us probably blocked it from our memories already.)