In a interview on That Gaby Roslin Podcast conducted while he was filming Doctor Who, Lenny Rush and his mother Lisa Rush spoke of the joys and the challenges of his work on the programme.
At just 14 years old, Lenny Rush has already won a BAFTA, acted alongside Sharon Horgan, Michael Sheen in Best Interests, Christopher Eccleston in Dodger and has recently finished shooting the new series of Doctor Who with Ncuti Gatwa. He has dreams of being known as a great actor and continuing his acting career .
Lenny was announced as cast as Morris in Doctor Who on 15 June. He has Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, a condition which affects his growth, resulting in dwarfism. He and his mother spoke to Gaby about the excitement but also some of the criticism his casting announcement caused.
“I’m really lucky. I actually didn’t audition,” Lenny revealed.
“I was on a game with my friends on a computer and Mom came in with the phone with the email on it.”
“She showed me it and I [whispered] ‘Doctor Who?!’ She [whispered] ‘Yeah’ and it was crazy. I think if you’re offered a job, you sort of think it would be something not too massive. But to be offered Doctor Who was amazing!”
“[We saw] the Doctor Who announcement and on the side comments, you see the word ‘woke’ and that Lenny’s just been brought in to ‘tick a box’,” Lenny’s mom Lisa remarked. “But I like to think, and our Lenny knows, It’s because actually he’s good at what he does. And Doctor Who doesn’t just do that.”
“The horrible thing about nowadays is, if you are being inclusive, then you’re woke,” Lenny added. “If you’re showing representation and you’re diversifying everything, which is how it should be, it’s woke.”
View this post on Instagram
Lenny won the Breakthrough Award, and Comedy Performance (Male) Award, for Am I Being Unreasonable? at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards in March 2023. He couldn’t go to the awards because he was recovering from an operation on his back.
“I had spinal fusion. So that’s two rods down on either side of the back on either side of the spine. It was [painful] but you know what, actually over the pain it was just so uncomfortable. I couldn’t lay down correctly or get up so I couldn’t sleep and that’s the worst part. I love my sleep.”
Some time after his operation in March, Lenny commenced his work filming Doctor Who while recovering his stamina from the spinal procedure. His tutor knows when he’s had a scene where he’s had to use a lot of energy and has him read quietly when this occurs. He was still filming at the time of the interview. Doctor Who finished filming on 14 July.
“Even filming Doctor Who at the moment, I think that’s helping me with my stamina, so I found, after last week’s filming.”
“You try to get five hours a day [of schooling with a tutor on set].
“Doctor Who has actually been quite tricky. I mean, I’m in it quite a bit so it’s hard to fit that tutoring in.”
Lenny couldn’t reveal too much about his work on Doctor Who but shared a few experiences.
“[Russell T Davies is] amazing. A legend. Yeah, he’s a really clever man.”
“I’m playing a character called Morris. I can’t say his last name. That’s how, like, crazy. I couldn’t say his last name! He’s got a Segway and the Segway has some secrets inside.”
“The props department have jazzed it up a bit,” Lisa added.
“I’m in scenes with Ncuti [Gatwa],” Lenny continued.
“Millie’s lovely. Plays the companion.” Lisa remarked. “It’s just a nice production, isn’t it? It’s dream come true.”
“It’s such a great atmosphere,” Lenny agreed. “It’s lovely. I mean, It’s Doctor Who. It’s crazy. I feel very privileged, very lucky.”
Doctor Who will return in November 2023 with three 60th anniversary specials starring David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor and Catherine Tate as companion Donna Noble titled The Star Beast, Wild Blue Yonder and The Giggle.
Ncuti Gatwa will star in his first full Doctor Who episode as the Fifteenth Doctor in the Doctor Who Christmas special alongside Millie Gibson as companion Ruby Sunday in December 2023.
A new 8-episode Doctor Who series starring Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor and Millie Gibson as Ruby will debut in Spring of 2024.