This makes fans of his Doctor, like myself, harder to like him. Did Doctor Who kill his dog or something? On the other hand, he might be regretting not being part of the 50th now, since its also been around 7 months (or more) since Moffat offered him to be part of it. At least, I hope he's not that dick-ish.
To be honest, at this point I think fans of his should just give up the ghost. It's obvious that he is determined to make his time on the show his past and would prefer not to discuss it. Some people are like that. John Hughes was like that regarding his Brat Pack movies after the 80's. And no matter what you do, you'll just end up pushing them further into their hole. I don't think he's THAT much of a dick, since by all reports he's very forthcoming and generous with kids who see him as The Doctor, or so I've read here and elsewhere. But statements like this just make him look like a hypocrite. At the end of the day, it's his choice how he wants to live his life. He has an entire fandom that loves him, but the constant questioning has probably annoyed him. You could say he brought it on himself. He threw his name into the ring in the first place. I really think Doctor Who should just leave him alone. If he wants to emerge into our light again, he will. Otherwise...it's his life.
He's publicising Thor TDW. I don't think it's particularly unreasonable that he insist that he not be asked about a TV show he appeared in nearly a decade ago. And I note that the I interviewer says:
I can understand a character actor not wanting his whole career overshadowed by a single role. Eccleston would hardly be the first -- cf. Adam West, Leonard Nimoy, etc. Some actors are comfortable riding the fame train from a single iconic role, but others seek more variety and experimentation. Maybe when Eccleston took the role of the Doctor, he didn't realize how large a shadow that role would cast, and stepped away from it because he didn't want it to define him for the rest of his life -- although it's probably too late for that.
No, that's not why Eccleston left the role. He left for reasons to do with the atmosphere, the politics, and the experience of the production. For the reasons that he took the role -- as a role-model to children -- he's quite proud of that, and he will make time to talk to children who want to talk to him about the Doctor.
I do not think he's nowhere near as dick-ish as some rather bitter or just mean fans have made him out to be - in everything I've seen him in interview-wise both in DVD's and YT, he's always been polite and civil. I understand not wanting to talk about it, but you know, this IS the 50th anniversary. The questions are bound to happen. Its not about insistence to get something out of him, but rather honest curiosity about his opinion on the show that he, of all the Doctors, helped bring back to life. So yeah, even though I feel he's doing a disservice to fans by not appearing on the special, at the same time, he's not obligated to do so. Plus, he thinks highly of Matt Smith, based on a play he saw him on or something. Isn't that nice of him? And on a radio interview, he praised Moffat for having written the Empty Child two-parter, and is overall proud of his own series.
Or, maybe he's sick and tired of being asked about Doctor Who, a show he hasn't been a part of for 7 years or so? He has said time and time again, he's not interested in going back. Why should he have to repeat himself? He has simply moved on, he has addressed the question again and again. Why can't the media move on? Why can't we move on?
I suppose we can always hold out for him to reprise his Doctor in 2015. The 10 year anniversary of the revived franchise. XD jk
So, when is his book coming out.. "I Am Not WHO". Typecasting, which I don't think would happen to him, doesn't always work out bad. Nimoy turned it into directing and producing jobs. Then the sequel, "I Am Spock".
He never gave a straight answer (which is his right), so people are going to keep asking until he does.
That actually is almost exactly what I originally heard as to why he left. He doesn't like long Commitments because doesn't want to be typecast. It's only after I started reading this board a few years back that I heard any murmurings even of "problems on set"