The actor who plays the Fifteenth Time Lord of 'Doctor Who' credits his gay role on the Netflix series with helping him heal following a struggle with 'internalised hate.'
- Aug 31, 2023
AceShowbiz - Ncuti Gatwa's "Sex Education" role helped get rid of a lot of "internalised hate." The 30-year-old actor stars as gay teenager Eric Effiong in the Netflix comedy-drama series, and Ncuti has revealed that his breakout role had a profound impact on his personal life.
"It undid a lot of the internalised hate I had. I've experienced racism my whole life, and while I always believed in myself, always knew [racists] were stupid and uneducated, I guess it did misinform my view of how the world works," Ncuti told ELLE UK magazine's October issue prior to the writers' strike.
"It makes you think everyone has that opinion and you'll constantly have to fight through life - then you learn that you don't, you can find a tribe, you can find your people."
The role also taught Ncuti about the "importance of representation." The actor - who is set to receive the Modern Pioneer gong at the ELLE Style Awards in September - explained, "Shout out to [screenwriter] Laurie Nunn for giving nuance to this gay, black character and gifting him to the world."
"He's so fierce and unashamed. It was healing for me, and great for people to see themselves represented. It taught me the importance of representation, it's so powerful and necessary."
Despite his recent success, Ncuti continues to struggle with his self-confidence, admitting it's something he works on "daily." He shared, "I have so much impostor syndrome. I have so many insecurities."
"I like to make other people feel happy so there's less focus on me. I become this loud figure that's cracking jokes all the time. It comes across as confidence, but at the heart of it, it's not. Real confidence is something I have to work on daily."
