Sex Education and Doctor Who actor Ncuti Gatwa has discussed why he doesn’t want to publicly put a label on his sexuality.
The booked and busy British actor got his breakout role as gay high school student Eric Effiong in Netflix’s hit series.
Soon, Ncuti will appear as Ken in Greta Gerwig’s highly anticipated Barbie film. Later this year, he’ll be the new Doctor in Doctor Who‘s fourteenth season.
This week, the 30-year-old appeared alongside other stars on the cover of British Vogue‘s Pride-themed July issue, that included a gorgeous nude photoshoot (below).
Speaking to the publication, the actor – who’s never publicly addressed his sexuality – talked about the importance of boundaries and keeping parts of himself private.
“It’s a safety and mental health thing,” he told Vogue.
“After Sex Education, we all became public property, to an extent. You have to fight for your right to privacy after that, but you also do feel like you owe people something.
“In setting my boundaries, I knew I wanted to separate the private and public, and that I never wanted my personal life to overshadow my work.”
Ncuti added, “I also believe that everyone is on their own journey, and it’s important that no one feels an obligation to others in relation to what’s happening to them internally.
“And that’s what Sex Education is about – taking things at your own pace.”
Barbie is out on July 20. Doctor Who‘s season 14 will premiere on November 23.
Eric’s exit from Netflix’s Sex Education
Speaking to Vogue, Ncuti Gatwa discussed Eric’s last scenes in Sex Education’s fourth season. The new season will finally arrive on the streaming service later this year.
“[Eric] gets the ending I wanted for him. Things get tied up. And there was one scene that I particularly fought for, and I managed to get it in, which was great,” he revealed.
“[Co-star] Aimee [Lou Wood] and I wrote it, and we were redrafting it until like 3am the day before.
“I’ve never written for Eric before, so that felt big, and it was a scene that meant a lot to me in terms of Eric’s journey and relationships. It felt very necessary.”
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