A friend of mine once called David Bowie “the next species that humans are going to evolve into.” Not only is it the most accurate summation of Bowie’s existence that I’ve ever heard, but it’s also a mantra which movie producers and the moviegoing public have more or less universally accepted. The latest installment of “we all know Bowie is not a standard human being” news comes to us from the Daily Mail, who reports that Bowie will star as an alien abductor in “Dr. Who”:
Producers said Bowie, 60, will make a perfect villain because of his “great other-worldly look”… But the singer’s willingness to appear in the two-part Dr Who special will come as a surprise to his fans.
The singer who has starred in appeared in over 20 films including Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, Labyrinth, and Absolute Beginners, has often complained that after playing an alien in cult movie The Man Who Fell To Earth, he was only offered roles as “green-headed Martians”.
Although he became famous for his exotic painted looks as alter-ego Ziggy Stardust during his glam rock heyday, Bowie is reported to have expressed interest only if he is not required through hours of make-up for the TV show.
I can understand Bowie not wanting to be typecast as an alien — the only acting parts I got when I was in college theater was the “not good actor guy” — but can you imagine casting him in a role where he isn’t some sort of extraterrestrial being? Or at least the king of a group of creatures, perhaps, say, goblins? Even when he played Pilate in “Last Temptation of Christ” I was thinking, “wow, Scorcese portraying Pilate as an alien wizard — the man is a genius.”
I predict the “Dr. Who” stint will be Bowie’s finest role since he played “Elven Doctor who plays piano” on that one episode of “Extras.”
