Ncuti Gatwa‘s blasting attitudes toward Black actors … saying they’ve got to perform flawlessly to get love — while “white mediocrity” is loved by the masses.
Gatwa — who’s the first Black Doctor in the show “Doctor Who” — spoke with Attitude for its May/June issue … when he was asked about the backlash to him taking over the iconic role.
If you don’t know … the main character in “Doctor Who” changes actors regularly — sorta like James Bond — and every actor before NG who played the role was white. Some fans protested when the Rwandan-Scottish actor took over the part.
Gatwa says there’s a shift in casting where minority actors are starting to receive bigger roles … though he admits it’s not a very fast shift. And, he says this shift’s causing people to straight-up malfunction.
Then, Gatwa makes the claim … saying mediocre white individuals are cheered on in the status quo while Black people need to do things damn-near perfect to get half the love and adulation.
Ncuti says he’s trying to train his way out of thinking in this established way … adding he needs to remind himself he deserves love “just for existing.”
Gatwa also takes aim at politicians in the interview … saying attitudes toward gender identity/trans individuals all trickle down from those in charge — explaining people feel justified in attacking others when their pols do it.
Ncuti rose to prominence on the hit Netflix coming-of-age comedy-drama “Sex Education” … and was announced as the new Doctor in 2022. His first episode aired on Christmas 2023.
The new season of “Doctor Who” premieres on Disney+ on May 10 … and, we’ll just have to wait and see what kinda reaction it receives.