Ncuti Gatwa is looking past his experience on the final season of Sex Education and looking ahead to his lead role on Doctor Who, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Gatwa told Rolling Stone that filming Sex Education was wrought with difficulty. “It was very hard; it was such a big show,” he said. “When you’re telling stories that haven’t been seen before, there’s always a battle as to how to tell them. It wasn’t always joyous. I feel like we’ve outgrown it, and we’ve given everything we can to it.”
Another aspect of the show that Gatwa discussed was the difficulties of working with white executives. “I remember being told by an executive producer that white people wouldn’t understand my character, Eric, which incensed me. There’s an entire show there for white people to understand.”
Looking ahead to playing the fifteenth doctor on Doctor Who, Gatwa is preparing for media scrutiny. “The British press can be very mean,” he said. “I just have to focus on the job and stay true to what the Doctor is: a mad scientist alien who has adventures and cares about everyone.”
He’s already prepping with therapy and support from friends and other cast members. “Russell T Davies has been amazing, too. He calms me down,” the actor said. “I can get very anxious, but therapy helps, and they’ve made sure that I have time put aside to have my sessions.”
Gatwa also discussed deciding on the doctor’s wardrobe. “The day Russell invited me to meet everybody, they asked me what sort of costume I wanted,” he recalled. “I showed them this Ralph Lauren collection that was in partnership with Historically Black Colleges in America. I love those pieces, they’re so preppy and so Black. But then they asked what else because they’d been thinking about lots of outfits, almost a different one each week. Which is new! I love it. The Doctor has traveled all of time and space; they’re going to have a sick wardrobe.”