Christopher Eccleston reveals he turned down a role in British film Billy Elliot - “it’s offensive”

Acclaimed British actor Christopher Eccleston, known for his tenure as the Doctor in the initial revival of the BBC “Doctor Who” franchise, has admitted in an interview that he was offered the role of the father in “Billy Elliot”, but turned it down as he felt the role was “offensive.”

Speaking to The Independent, the current “True Detective: Night Country” star revealed that he was offered the role of Jackie Elliot, a striking coal miner who tries to push his son towards boxing instead of ballet – the role ultimately played by Gary Lewis. But it was the approach to “working-class families” that led to Ecclestone turning down the role.

The Manchester-born actor, who grew up in Salford, criticised the film which tells the story of an aspiring ballet, while discussing his decision to reject acting opportunities he feels patronises working-class people. Eccleston himself has spoken about his working-class upbringing previously, with his father being a forklift truck driver and his mother a cleaner

“What was that f***ing ballet film everyone went mad for? I was offered a meeting to play the father. But I said, ‘I’m not going to do that, it’s offensive,’” the actor claimed in the interview. “I’m tired of seeing working-class parents portrayed as being vehemently against their kids going into the arts.”

He went on to state he felt the film was “a middle-class view of the working-class experience, made for the American market. F*** it!”

It’s not the first time that Eccleston has been vocal about turning down a role; in 2013, the Ninth Doctor was invited to appear in “The Day of the Doctor,” but felt that the role wasn’t worth his time in the end.  “When [The Day of the Doctor] came along I did speak to them,” Eccleston told the crowd during a panel at Rose City Comic Con in 2019. “I didn’t feel that what they were asking me to do did justice to the Ninth Doctor. So I said no.”

When is the next episode of “True Detective: Night Country” on TV?

The second episode of the new series of “True Detective: Night Country” airs on Sky Atlantic on Monday January 22 at 9pm, with repeats available on NOW TV