Since then, his career has only been going up. In 2022, he was announced as the Fourteenth Doctor in the BBC series Doctor Who.
Some people find it hard to see actors as separate from the roles they portray.
In the case of Ncuti Gatwa, since portraying Eric Effiong, many people have questioned his own sexuality.
However, Gatwa has never discussed his sexuality with the public or the media and prefers to keep his private life private.
But who is Ncuti Gatwa, and what exactly is Sex Education? This article will look closely at Gatwa and his most prominent roles.
We’ll also take a closer look at why so many people believe that Gatwa is gay.
Who Is Ncuti Gatwa?
Ncuti Gatwa is a Scottish-Rwandan actor born on the 15th of October in 1992. He was born in Rwanda, but he and his family escaped in 1994 during the Rwandan Genocide.
After they left Rwanda, the family moved to Scotland, where Ncuti would spend his childhood and teenage years.
Upon graduating from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2013, he was given a position in the Dundee Repertory Theater’s acting graduate scheme.
Here he performed in various stage shows.
As he gained more experience, he was presented with various roles, from the Stonemouth mini-series to the BBC sitcom Bob Servant.
In 2018, Gatwa was cast as Eric Effiong in Sex Education, a Netflix series created by Laurie Nunn.
In the show, Eric is an openly gay student at Moordale High and the best friend of Otis Milburn, whose mother is a sex therapist.
He gained much recognition as Eric, and he’s praised for not being a cliche or stereotypical role.
Since starring in Sex Education, he’s been cast in the Barbie film. He will also portray the fourteenth version of the Doctor in Doctor Who.
By becoming the Doctor, he is the first black actor to portray the character and the fourth Scottish actor to take the role.
What Is Sex Education?
Sex Education is a Netflix series created by Laurie Nunn. It’s a comedy-drama that focuses on the students of Moordale High School.
The main character is Otis Milburn, portrayed by Asa Butterfield, whose mother is a sex therapist.
Eric Effiong is Otis’s openly gay best friend from a Ghanaian-Nigerian family.
Eric’s storyline focuses a great deal on his sexuality, including the homophobic bullying from Adam Groff.
However, their relationship steadily progresses, and Adam becomes Eric’s boyfriend.
However, Eric’s plotline also focuses on his heritage and how he feels it conflicts with his sexuality.
When it comes to Eric’s own family life, it is one where his family is concerned about the issues he may face due to his sexuality.
In the first season, Eric’s father, accepting of his son, is also afraid for him.
The risks that come with Eric being gay are even shown in later seasons, where Adam worries about him traveling to Nigeria, where it is illegal to be gay.
Sex Education portrays sexuality and relationships in a way that everyone can resonate with in some way.
It shows that not everything is black and white regarding either of those subjects and has been a welcome view on TV and streaming sites.
Every cast member was surprised by how it blew up, with no one expecting the show to be as popular as it is.
Now approaching its fourth season, Ncuti Gatwa has been praised for his role.
He has both been nominated and won awards for his portrayal of Eric, and it is through this role fans have speculated about Gatwa’s sexuality.
Ncuti Gatwa On His Sexuality
Many people struggle to separate the art from the artist, and in this case, Eric from Gatwa.
Journalists have tried to convince Gatwa to talk about his sexuality and personal life, but he has successfully dodged these questions.
While Gatwa does share some common ground with his Sex Education character, such as a colorful fashion sense and a natural cheeriness, he doesn’t share their common ground on sexuality.
Gatwa keeps a lot of his private life to himself. He doesn’t share too much information about himself on Instagram.
However, we know he loves how Eric has been written and portrayed in the show.
In many cases, they have similarities, with Gatwa noting how he felt isolated while growing up in Scotland and contending with racist bullying from his classmates.
However, like Eric, he never let it get to him and eventually befriended his former bullies.
Previously, he mentioned how many gay characters on TV have gay as a part of their entire personality. But Eric Effiong isn’t only about his sexuality.
He has a life outside of this and has a different backstory that doesn’t only discuss his being gay.
Gatwa has seen the amount of love and representation from fans who have resonated with Eric.
Overall, he has a message that everyone should be whoever they want to be and never feel ashamed of who they are.
He believes that Eric is not only a great representation of the LGBTQ+ community but of black boys who may struggle with being who they are.
However, many fans continue to believe that Ncuti Gatwa is his character, and despite never revealing his sexuality, they assume he is an LGBTQ+ actor.
Final Thoughts
Some actors prefer to keep their private lives to themselves and those close to them.
While Ncuti Gatwa does portray a gay character, it doesn’t automatically mean that he is gay himself.
As he hasn’t spoken publicly about his sexuality, it’s problematic to assume that he is gay based on how he acts and his similarities to Eric.
Overall, Gatwa does not share intimate details about his private life on social media.
He doesn’t talk about his sexuality, so we should all respect that he doesn’t wish to share this with the press and the public.
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