Ncuti Gatwa Reveals How He Was Sexualised As A Black Kid

Ncuti Gatwa, an actor who is Rwandan-Scottish, has disclosed that he was “deeply sexualized and fetishized” as a “queer, black kid.”

The 31-year-old Doctor Who star is scheduled to be toasted at the yearly GQ Men of the Year party in collaboration with BOSS on November 15th. He is featured on the cover of the British GQ Men of the Year special.

The Rwandan-Scottish actor talked about his experiences working in Glasgow bars after leaving Edinburgh’s schools and how his sexuality has been defined in public during an interview with the magazine.

Ncuti attended drama school in Glasgow and worked in the sister club of The Polo Lounge before he became well-known for his acting. He talked about how he felt “deeply sexualized” as a “queer black kid” working in “a white, gay environment.”

“It was very weird going from high school, where being the queer, Black kid you were nobody’s pick of the bunch, to getting thrown into the Glasgow gay scene,” he recalls.

“I will never forget my first night out. I was in a white gay environment [and] as a Black man, I was deeply, deeply sexualised.

“I couldn’t quite understand the toxicity of that. I couldn’t understand that I was being fetishised. I wasn’t able to walk through this club without every bit of me being grabbed. It was weird – but fun! Very fun!”

In the interview, Ncuti also talks about his photo session for the British Vogue Pride edition, where he avoided defining his sexuality, leaving some people puzzled.

“I’m aware of the confusion it caused,’ he says,’ but I kind of thought that my participation in [the Pride issue] was a statement. Not to come for anyone, but I was like, you know, two plus two equals four. I couldn’t be louder about this. I literally got naked.”

He describes how, over his lifetime, the LGBT community has made such strides that coming out in the UK is no longer often considered taboo, yet many people are still burdened by labels.

“If you think it’s that easy, I’m happy for you. That’s a very privileged position to be in. To think that sexuality is so easy, and talking about sexuality is so easy, and existing with one’s sexuality is so easy. I’m so glad that you think it’s that easy because the world isn’t like that.”

Following his premiere on the Netflix series Sex Education, Ncuti Gatwa swiftly won over fans, and as he prepared to take over as the new Doctor Who, he went on to achieve great success.

He describes his disbelief at landing the iconic role as the Time Lord to GQ, explaining: “I’m a good actor [but] this is a 60-year-long British institution and I’m a Black man, so I never thought that I’d be chosen to front something that is basically the heart of the BBC.”

“Your existence when you’re a marginalised person is political. So you, and the world, are aware of that, and people make decisions accordingly.”