When it comes to Doctor Who , Arthur Darvill can’t seem to “Let It Go”. Perhaps, more accurately, fans can’t seem to let him go.
Darvill proved himself an unforgettable companion during his time as Rory Williams on BBC’s Doctor Who . His departure, along with onscreen wife Amy Pond (played by Karen Gillan ) in the September 29, 2012 episode “The Angels Take Manhattan” broke the hearts of Doctor Who fans (commonly dubbed “Whovians” for those uninitiated in these sorts of awesomeness) worldwide, wrapping up the first half of the show’s seventh series.
Darvill recently appeared on BBC Radio to promote a new production of the stage play Once , in which he revives the lead role he played in two Broadway productions of the play last year, in a typical radio interview coupled with a performance of a few of the songs from Once .
Then Arthur Darvill added his name to the list of folks who have parodied the Academy Award-winning song “Let It Go” from Disney’s seemingly perfect animated blockbuster Frozen . With tongue-in-cheek lyrics not written by Darvill, this version of “Let It Go” has the former Doctor Who companion wishing to be more than “just a bloke riding in the TARDIS” and imploring Whovians to take notice of his work outside his role as Rory.
Arthur Darvill @RattyBurvil @OnceMusicalLDN sang live on the show today. catch it here http://t.co/djWplGZ3ek pic.twitter.com/wtdMOTeMAN
— Robert Elms (@RobertElms) April 26, 2014
In reality Arthur Darvill has always been massively appreciative and generous towards fans of Doctor Who , telling the Official London Theatre:
“I love how enthusiastic people can be about it. I think it’s wonderful. Doctor Who has done me some really huge favours and I’ll never knock it.”
“People will still mention Doctor Who to me when I’m an old bearded man playing wizards, which is obviously the ultimate aim.”
Digital Spy had positive things to say about Darvill’s role as Guy in Once , noting “ Doctor Who fans out there will almost certainly need five minutes to adjust to his Irish accent, but Darvill uses Guy’s mixed headspace of reluctance, passion and social awkwardness to great effect. Opposite Cviteši?’s Girl, they are a convincing romantically-torn couple whose vocals blend smoothly together for some truly stunning duets.”
After leaving Doctor Who in 2012, Darvill appeared alongside former Tenth Doctor David Tennant in the highly-acclaimed crime drama Broadchurch , of which an American remake (titled Gracepoint ) is expected to hit screens later this year. While Tennant will be reprising the lead role in the remake, Darvill’s role will be played by Kevin Rankin.
Arthur Darvill may never be able to step out from under the shadow of his role as Rory Williams, but the former Doctor Who star doesn’t seemed too worried about it. In fact, he seems downright comfortable being unable to “Let It Go”.