Hey, remember this? We’ve been taking a peek down memory lane this week on Kasterborous and stumbled across the rather cool movie short starring Eighth Doctor Paul McGann and Official/Unofficial Ninth Doctor Richard E. Grant, Always Crashing in the Same Car.
There will always be talk and rumours of former Doctors rejoining the show for special events such as the 2013 50th anniversary, but in reality these things take a lot of organizing. After all, it took 20 years for the stars of Withnail & I to get together for a 10 minute movie, so imagine how tough it would be to get those two plus McCoy, Eccleston, Davison, the Bakers, Tennant and Smith in the same room for a few days!
Nevertheless, this is a very cool piece of drama with excellent work by both leads. McGann in particular is impressively cool in his beard while Grant exudes the sort of mania that reminds you of Withnail (something that he has regularly failed to successfully repeat on many occasions since that career-defining cult movie was released).
“Grant exudes the sort of mania that reminds you of Withnail (something that he has regularly failed to successfully repeat on many occasions since that career-defining cult movie was released).”
Has it occurred to you that it might be desirable, personally and career-wise, for an actor not to repeat the same part over and over to the point where he’s convinced directors and producers that he’s incapable of playing anything else? The fact that Withnail is a cult figure doesn’t mean Richard E. Grant is required to live in the shadow of that role for the rest of his life. Just a thought.
That’s not the point, Saphira – the point is that Grant HAS been cast in roles very similar to Withnail, and whether or not it was intended he’s never appeared comfortable, clearly knowing at the back of his mind that it’s another gig gained off the back of playing a tragic but hilarious character.