 She admitted that she had to "tell a lot of lies" after being cast to keep the information secret and used the codeword "Clooney" when talking about the role.Whittaker kept her mother in "the inner circle" regarding knowledge of the role, as her father, Adrian, "would have the ability to tell the world".She urged fans not to be afraid of her gender, saying ""Doctor Who" represents everything that's exciting about change.