“Doctor Who” actress Pearl Mackie shared the beautiful moment she found out her character was gay

It’s sad to think that Peter Capaldi is leaving the show, but after you read what Doctor Who‘s Pearl Mackie, the woman who plays Doctor’s new openly gay companion, has to say about her character Bill Potts, your heart will be all warm and fuzzy again.

In a recent interview with Vulture, Mackie revealed that her character wasn’t originally written as a lesbian — but one night showrunner Steven Moffat had a revolutionary realization. The actress explained:

"[Potts is] talking about a boy, and she says that there was this boy she was really attracted to, but then she gave him loads of chips and he got really fat. That was initially written about a boy and not a girl. And Steven realized that there was something that just didn’t work about it. One night he was like, 'Oh, she’s a girl, of course, that makes so much more sense.'"

It’s all about the ah ha! moments on Doctor Who.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQFRMHvY2dc?feature=oembed

Mackie added:

"That’s all it came from, that was the only adjustment, and that’s how it happened, really. I think it’s great. It’s very important to represent people from all walks of life. It’s something that we need more of and not something that we should be applauded for."

Before signing onto the hit show, Mackie had only one other TV credit on her resume, so this casting is a pretty, pretty big deal. She said that it didn’t really hit her until she saw the sets and the soundstage when she showed up for work, though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lbl7K06cp5w?feature=oembed

“I walked on and looked around and was completely overwhelmed with the sheer scale of the show, the intricacies, and the work that had gone into it. It made me feel really humbled by being in such a phenomenally powerful show,” Mackie said.

Yeah, we can imagine that it would be pretty overwhelming, but we’re just as sure she’ll fit right in.