Ncuti Gatwa says he and religious parents ‘don’t talk about’ Sex Education role

‘We don’t really speak about it, but they have seen it,’ Gatwa said of ‘traditional Rwandan Christian’ parents

Ncuti Gatwa has revealed he “didn’t want” his parents to see Sex Education.

The Netflix teen drama about a secondary school sex therapist (Asa Butterfield’s Otis Milburn) shot Gatwa to fame thanks to his role as Otis’s best friend, Eric Effiong.

Eric is openly gay and comes from a religious Ghanaian-Nigerian family. Gatwa, who has never publicly discussed his sexuality, comes from a religious Rwandan family who settled in Scotland amid the Rwandan genocide in 1994.

In a new profile for Rolling Stone UK, Gatwa discussed his parent’s feelings about the show, which frequently presents graphic, sexual content.

“We don’t really speak about it, but they have seen it,” he said of his parents; his father has a PhD in theology.

“I didn’t want them to, but I couldn’t stop them. And they are very supportive, thankfully. It’s not the most comfortable thought to know that my mum knows what my cum face looks like but… we move.”

Ncuti Gatwa in ‘Sex Education’ (Sam Taylor/Netflix)

Of his own faith, the 30-year-old actor added: “I was raised in church. Both my parents are traditional Rwandan Christians. I loved my upbringing in church – it’s a big part of my identity.

“However, a long time ago I fell out of love with it all. I still feel a connection to something greater than us, though. I can’t live my life without it. I have to believe something will save us from AI.”

Following his breakout role in Sex Education, Gatwa was cast as the next incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who in 2022.

The iconic series returns in November with three special episodes starring David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor to coincide with the show’s 60^th anniversary.

Russell T Davies, who was responsible for bringing the classic sci-fi series back in 2005, is taking over as Doctor Who showrunner following Chris Chibnall’s departure.

Gatwa’s first episode as the Fifteenth Doctor will then air over the festive period with script editor Scott Handcock teasing that a former guest star, who appeared on the show in 2005, will also be returning.

Doctor Who will return to BBC One later this year. It will air on Disney+ internationally.