Ncuti Gatwa has by far surpassed rising star status since playing Eric Effiong on the popular Netflix series Sex Education, from playing Ken in Warner Bros. Pictures box office record smasher Barbie to jumping into the TARDIS.
The Rwandan-Scottish actor recently got the chance to reflect on how Sex Education impacted his life during an interview with Elle, telling them how playing Eric Effiong “undid a lot of internalized hate” he once had.
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Gatwa stars alongside Asa Butterfield, Emma Mackey, Gillian Anderson, Connor Swindells, Kedar Williams-Stirling, and Aimee Lour Wood, among others in the hit series known as Sex Education.
Ncuti Gatwa On Racism
While talking to Elle, Gatwa explained how he has “experienced racism [his] whole life, and while [he] always believed in [himself], always knew [racists] were stupid and uneducated,” Sex Education gave him a better “view of how the world works,” telling Elle “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.”
As mentioned, Gatwa’s time on the screen has only begun, however, his time as Eric Effiong in Sex Education comes to an end as the series wraps up after four seasons on Netflix with the final season set to drop on September 21.
Thanking Laurie Nunn For Eric Effiong
During the same interview, Gatwa also gave credit to series writer Laurie Nunn for “giving nuance to this gay, Black character and gifting him to the world.”
Telling Elle that Eric “taught me the importance of representation: it’s so powerful and necessary”, along with saying that playing Eric “was healing” for him “and great for people to see themselves represented.”
Source: Elle
