Before we get into David Tennant movies and TV shows, we just want to state: He did a perfect job in the Good Omens TV Series. His voice, gestures, and movements look perfectly natural in every detail. Should we believe Michael Sheen who said, alluding to Tennant’s habit of not preparing for his roles, that Tenant didn’t even read Good Omens book? It seems impossible to do such a brilliant job without reading one of the best humorous fantasy books and getting to know the character he plays! Tennant insisted that he had read the book. It is possible that Sheen was joking. You can never be sure with these two.
Aniway, Tennant’s performance in this TV show motivated us to make the following list. Some people who weren’t familiar with David Tennant’s works started to ask why he didn’t have more roles in fantasy movies and TV Shows. Since he actually did show up in various fantasy and SF series and movies, we listed his roles in these particular genres as a reminder for those who already know about them as well as a recommendation list for those who didn’t but would like to. That being said, we agree that it wouldn’t be bad at all to see him in more fantasy movies and TV Shows as one of the leading actors.
1. Doctor Who
Photo Credits: BBC, Doctor Who
Everyone has heard of Doctor Who – the famous TV series that goes on for six decades! Before Good Omens, David Tennant was most known as the 10th Doctor. When it was officially announced that he’s coming back this year, for the 60th anniversary special, fans were delighted. This is the first time in the incredibly long history of the Doctor Who franchise that the actor who left the project comes back. And that’s not all! Tennant comes back as a new incarnation of Doctor Who, with memories of the previous three doctors. He will be the 14th Doctor.
David Tennant as Doctor Who and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble were some of the fans’ favorites, and some of the best Doctor Who episodes were the ones with Tennant who masterfully gave the character perfectly combined doses of oddity and emotionality. Don’t miss to see his comeback!
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire [2005]
Photo Credits: Warner Bros.
Harry Potter is another famous series we can put on our list of David Tennant TV shows and movies, although he was not the lead actor like in Doctor Who. It’s a brief, but impressive appearance. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth part of the franchise, Tennant plays Barty Crouch Jr. He’s equally good at playing good guys, bad guys, and something in between. In this movie, he’s a bad guy. Tennant shows up towards the end of the movie in just a couple of scenes. Still, he gets the most out of the limited time he has on screen.
3. Jessica Jones [2015 – 2019]
Photo Credits: ABC Studios
Speaking of David Tennant as a bad guy, he brilliantly played the role of the villain Kilgarve in Marvel’s Jessica Jones adaptation. In Season 1, Tennant shows up as the main antagonist and he is terrifying indeed! Not only because his character has a power that is terrifying itself – to make people do anything by simply giving them an order, but because Tennant perfectly played such a powerful and complex character.
The complexity of Kilgrave’s character lies in his conviction that he was in a relationship with Jessica. Kilgrave must know that he took the power of free will from her, and yet, he believes that Jessica willingly consented to the relationship. This character is not simply evil, his mind is twisted on more than one level. Only a highly talented actor could play the role properly, and David Tennant was a great choice.
4. Fright Night [2011]
Photo Credits: Walt Disney Studios
Even if the movie might not be one of the best we’ve ever seen, David Tennant and Colin Farrell are among the best actors we know, so Fright Night from 2011 was worth watching.
In this remake of classic 1985 horror, Tennant reminds us of Crowley a little bit (or Crowley reminds us of Peter Vincent since Fright Night is older than Good Omens). Peter is an illusionist and a vampire specialist who, at first, refuses to help the teenage guy who asks for help to kill a vampire who lives next door. Peter Vincent is not interested in messing with the real vampires (it turns out there’s a reason for that). However, he changes his mind. But not before he gets drunk.
Fright Night is a horror comedy movie – a perfect genre for David Tennant who’s great at combining opposites (that’s why he was perfect as Crowley in Good Omens).
5. Around the World in 80 Days [2021]
Photo Credits: Slim Film
Flying in a Balloon is not a fantasy story anymore, but it was when Jules Verne wrote the novel, as well as it was the idea of submarine when he wrote Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. That’s why we put Around the World in 80 Days from 2021 on the fantasy fans list.
This adventure TV series brings us back to the times when the idea of flying in a balloon was considered crazy by most people. But not by an eccentric explorer Philes Fogg, played by David Tennant in this TV adaptation. Fogg bets that he would be the first man to travel around the world in 80 days. The adventure starts almost immediately, but it takes time for the actual journey around the globe to begin. Premiered after the travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Around the World in 80 Days was a refreshing adventure (and a rare opportunity to see David Tennant with the mustache). It still is, and Tennant, with Ibrahim Koma and Leonie Benesch, makes a good acting trio.
6. The Sandman [2022]
Photo Credits: Warner Bros. Television Studios
We decided to mention The Sandman despite David Tennant saying only a couple of sentences in the bonus episode because this was not the first time he took part in an animation project. As we already mentioned, he masterfully uses everything he can while acting, but he’s very good at using only one thing, like voice. We suppose he could be equally good in silent movies where he would use only moves and gestures.
In The Sandman bonus episode, a mix of live-action and animation that adapts Gaiman’s A Dream of a Thousand Cats and Calliope, Tennant borrows his voice to Don, the owner of a cute kitten. This is not the first time he has worked with Neil Gaimen as a voice actor. For Audible’s The Sandman series Tennant was the voice of Loki.
We suggest that you also take a look at his other animation projects such as: How to Train Your Dragon, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, The Amazing Maurice, and more.