Michelle Greenidge "never watched ‘Doctor Who’ much" before she joined the sci-fi show.
Michelle Greenidge at the Black British Theatre Awards 2024,
The 55-year-old actress had starred in Russell T Davies’ Channel 4 miniseries ‘It’s a Sin’ before being cast by the returning 'Doctor Who' showrunner as Carla Sunday, the adoptive mother of companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) in the latest series.
But Michelle admits who wasn't much of a Whovian before Russell gave her the part.
Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz at the Black British Theatre Awards 2024, Michelle said: “It was absolutely incredible, off the chart [to be in the show].
“Everybody was so nice, everyone was working at the top of their game. We’re all fans.
“Before I was on the show, I never watched ‘Doctor Who’ very much. I was like: ‘I don’t know what I’ve missed out on.’
“But, it was just phenomenal.”
She made her 'Doctor Who' debut in the 2023 Christmas special ‘The Church on Ruby Road', which also marked the first appearance of 'Sex Education' star Ncuti Gatwa, 32, as the Fifteenth Doctor.
When asked about how she reacted when she got the call asking if she wanted to join the BBC show, she added: “Oh my god – shock – it’s an understatement.
“I got the job from one self-tape, so I’m very fortunate because it’s one of the leading roles.
“I have worked with Russell before. Russell T Davies is an amazing human. He’s so supportive, he’s a phenomenal storyteller, and to know that I was going to be working with him again just blew my mind.
“He looks after me, he looks after everybody – the cast, the crew, the production – everyone is important to Russell and his team.”
Michelle lost her father just as filming kicked off in Wales last year and the cast rallied around the actress to provide peace and comfort.
She said: “It’s very difficult because when you do a job like this, I think my biggest fear was if something happens in my personal life, how would that impact my work because it’s very difficult do something when you’ve got other things going on.
“But, I was completely at peace, I was comfortable, so I was just so well supported."
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