David Tennant was already a successful working actor when he became the Tenth Doctor in 2005  he'd recently starred in the acclaimed BBC series Blackpool (2004) and Casanova (2005). But in a new interview, Tennant has revealed that the massive fame that Doctor Who brought him led to him seeking therapy.

"The way you imagine it’s going to be is not the way it is at all," he told The Sunday Times. "It’s much more exposing, and the imaginative leap you’ve had that it will give you status or make you invulnerable is all wrong. It makes you very vulnerable, and very raw."

"I remember way back, when I’d be in a room and someone well known would walk in, and there’s that sort of whisper goes around the room and everyone looks. And you imagine being that person is somehow powerful. When you are that person, you walk into a room and everyone turns their head and whispers, and you feel like you’re being squashed. You feel intimidated, and you feel scared, actually."

Continuing, Tennant said that he “wasn’t coping at all” with being so immediately recognizable, so he found “a very lovely older lady who was very calm and normal and just helped me cope with it."

Happily, Tennant's career continued to flourish during his five years (plus later guest appearances) as the Doctor, and then with high-profile roles in Broadchurch and Jessica Jones. Next up is Good Omens, Neil Gaiman's adaptation of the popular fantasy novel that he co-wrote with Sir Terry Pratchett. Tennant stars as the demon Crowley opposite Michael Sheen as the angel Aziraphal–a mouthwatering combo It launches Friday on Amazon Prime.

Are you excited to see David Tennant on TV again in Good Omens?