The Surprising Actress Who Wants To Be The First American Doctor Who
"Doctor Who" is an exceptional and long-lived British science fiction show that has stood the test of time. The Doctor himself is a member of an alien race that looks human, but actually have two hearts, master of fantastic time-warping technology, and the ability to regenerate into a completely different person when grievous damage has been taken. This aspect of "Doctor Who" allows different actors to pick up the reigns of the character, and have an in-universe mechanism and explanation to elaborate why the Doctor suddenly looks and sounds different.
The first episode of "Doctor Who" was broadcast in 1963, and since then, it has become the world's longest running science fiction television show (via BBC). Due to the long running nature of the show, and the ability of the Doctor to regenerate into a completely different person, there have been 13 different people to pilot the TARDIS up to this point (via BBC), but there is an American actor that would love to be the first Dr. Who from "the Colonies" at some point, and it might come as a total shock to some.
Whoopi Goldberg wants to be the first American Doctor Who
Up until the thirteenth version of "Doctor Who," the character has generally been played by a British man, with Jodie Whittaker being a departure from the norm, and the first time Dr. Who was ever a female. This has opened the floodgates for different actors with different backgrounds to take up the iconic mantle, and it seems that Whoopi Goldberg is actually very serious about wanting to play the main role on "Doctor Who."
Speaking with SFX Magazine (via Digital Spy) about her hopes for the character, Goldberg stated, "I was lucky enough to speak to Tom Baker about it — he's the Doctor I know best. For me, Tom Baker was the best Doctor. Of course, the younger Doctors are good, but when it comes to the older Doctors, it was always Tom Baker for me. I wanted to be the first female Doctor, but they have one. I said to him, 'I love the idea of an American Doctor Who.' I'm still trying to do it." As of this writing, the next actor to play the Doctor has not yet been chosen, so maybe Goldberg will get lucky and finally get a shot at her dream role.
Goldberg is an impressive actor in her own right, having starred in movies like "Ghost," "Sister Act," and "How Stella Got Her Groove Back," and has earned 60 awards for her efforts (via IMDb). It wouldn't be the first time Goldberg appeared in a science fiction television show either should she get her wish, having lent her skills as the role of Guinan in the "Star Trek" franchise. Either way, Goldberg surely understands how wibbly-wobbly time can truly be.