Ncuti Gatwa has revealed that he pays little attention to the racist and homophobic abuse he has received since taking over the lead role in ‘Doctor Who’.
The 32-year-old ‘Sex Education’ star debuted as the iconic Time Lord last year, and went on to earn widespread praise for his fresh take on the character.
In an interview for Vanity Fair’s Hollywood issue, Gatwa stated that he has felt an overwhelming amount of “warmth and love” from ‘Doctor Who’ fans, but revealed that negative reactions from others have “affected” him.
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“I wouldn’t be the only Black lead in a sci-fi franchise to receive that sort of treatment. Unfortunately, those are voices that exist in sci-fi fandoms—but they’re not the only voices. I just remember feeling a lot of warmth and love, being embraced into a big nerd family.”
Gatwa further stated that he often encounters fans during shoots, whether it’s 4 a.m. or in freezing temperatures and the love he receives from them keeps him going. “I think that’s beautiful, what the show means to them,” he said. “So I concentrate on that more than anything.”
Ncuti Gatwa emphasized that racism and homophobia do have an impact on him, insisting that he turns his focus on the positives.
“I don’t act as if they don’t exist or they don’t affect me. They do. But I try to pay it no mind and look at the many, many positives that came from joining the ‘Whoniverse’.”
Gatwa is set to reprise his role as the Doctor for the upcoming ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas special, as a second series has already been filmed and is slated to air next year on BBC One in the UK and Disney+ internationally, as per a Daily Mail report.
In addition to his role on ‘Doctor Who’, Gatwa is set to star in Jay Roach’s reimagining of ‘The War of the Roses’, alongside Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch.
When asked about Cumberbatch, Gatwa openly confessed that he has developed a crush on the Sherlock star.
“Oh, Cumberbatch! Benedict is… what a dream. The things I want to say about that man, I don’t think are appropriate. What a handsome and charming, lovely, lovely, lovely man. He put me to shame. This man gets up and swims in the cold sea every morning.”
The Vanity Fair Hollywood issue, which was shot back in September at Milk Studios in Los Angeles, featured some of the biggest names in film.
The photoshoot involved an impressive set-up with 24 trunks, 50 boxes, 30 rails of clothing, 200 pairs of shoes, and four security guards for the jewelry.
Amid rumors about the future of ‘Doctor Who’, questions have risen about whether Gatwa will return for a third series.
At a recent ‘Comic-Con’ appearance with co-star Millie Gibson, ‘Doctor Who’ producer Russell T Davies clarified that no decisions have been made about the show’s third season.
“We’ve shot season two, but that’s only halfway through. We’ve got all those months of post-production to come. It’s a long way off, so no decisions yet,” Davies said.
Meanwhile, Gatwa has described playing the Doctor as “surreal” and even joked about the idea of committing to the role for the next 10 seasons.
“Of course!” he replied. “I am still growing into the Doctor, but season two was lovely. It felt like the suit was fully fitted. I was finding my feet in season one and having the time of my life, but season two felt like a chance to flex the muscles properly.”
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In addition to his work on Doctor Who, Ncuti Gatwa is also starring in a West End production of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’.
