Ncuti Gatwa on Barbie, Doctor Who and Sex Education: 8 amazing quotes from star’s Rolling Stone UK cover interview
“My Doctor is emotionally vulnerable. He hides it with humour, but he’s lonely."
Ncuti Gatwa has spoken of his excitement over roles in the new Barbie movie – and the upcoming new series of Doctor Who – in a cover interview for the new issue of Rolling Stone UK, out now.
The actor, who shot to fame in the hit Netflix series Sex Education, stars alongside Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in the new Greta Gerwig-directed blockbuster Barbie, out in cinemas on 21 July 2023.
Here are eight of the best quotes from the revealing interview, in which Ncuti discusses everything from becoming homeless after a break-up to having “outgrown” Sex Education.
Ncuti Gatwa on what to expect from the new Doctor
“My Doctor is emotionally vulnerable. He hides it with humour, but he’s lonely. I can’t say much more than that; I don’t want to spoil anything. But he’s also energetic! The poor cameramen struggled to keep up.”
Ncuti – who as a child had to flee Rwanda with his family to escape the genocide against the Tutsi minority – on seeing a reflection of his own life in the Doctor’s own story of having survived a devastating war that wiped out the rest of his people
“This person survived a genocide. This person fits in everywhere and nowhere. I am the Doctor. The Doctor is me. I decided that I had to get this role.”
Ncuti on Margot Robbie being ‘queen of the vibes’ and taking the Barbie cast on a wild night out to see Magic Mike Live
“One of the best nights of my life was when Margot took all the Barbies and all the Kens out in London to see Magic Mike Live. That was… I don’t know how I made it through any filming in the week after, my voice was gone from screaming so much. The videos in the group chat the next morning were the best. Greta Gerwig’s assistant was pulled up on stage and given a lap dance and Greta was screaming in delight. Afterwards, we went and danced our hearts out. Margot is a very, very good party host. She’s queen of the vibes.”
Ncuti on saying a bittersweet goodbye to Sex Education, and sometimes struggling with the show’s direction
“It was very hard; it was such a big show. 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.”
Ncuti on still trying to keep up with the pace of his career since taking a lead role in Sex Education
“The trajectory of my life changed five years ago, in 2018. And that was one thing. That was a very fast-moving train. I’m still trying to get to grips with what happened then but… now the train has gone turbo this past year… Actors pick this job to hide behind our characters. And now suddenly you’re centre stage… you just have to focus on the job. The fame side can be distracting.”
Ncuti on pushing for authentic representation through the character of Eric
“It fast-tracked me into the downsides of this industry. 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.”
Ncuti on navigating his Black, Rwandan and British identities, and how a religious upbringing gave him community
“That was isolating. I had to discover myself in a deeper way. Not that there’s a disconnect between me and the Black British community, because I am Black and I am British, but there aren’t any Rwandans. Certainly, there weren’t any in Scotland. Church was how we found a community. Church people can be the kindest people and they can be shockingly cruel.”
Ncuti on finding solace in astrology
“It probably filled a gap that religion left in me. I couldn’t put my faith in an old book that had been used for so much evil. I found astrology so accepting. It helped me accept my own darkness, and other people’s darkness, too. I had a very… bad breakup. I ended up becoming homeless after it. People will probably think this sounds so silly but once the grieving was done, once I’d found a safe home again, typing in our respective star signs and seeing all this writing that described so accurately what the problem was between us, it led me to be able to forgive them. I understand their motives now. I don’t forget their actions, but I can forgive their motives.”