Rwandan-Scottish actor, Ncuti Gatwa has revealed how he was ‘deeply sexualised and fetishised’ as a ‘queer, black kid’
The Doctor Who star, 31, features on the cover of the British GQ’s Men Of The Year special, and is set to be toasted at the annual GQ Men of the Year celebration in association with BOSS, taking place on November 15.
In an interview with the magazine, the Rwandan-Scottish actor reflected on how his sexuality has been defined in public as well as his experience working in Glasgow bars after leaving school in Edinburgh.
Before making a name for himself in acting, Ncuti worked in the sister club of Glasgow’s The Polo Lounge while he attended drama school in the city, describing how being a ‘queer black kid’ working in ‘a white, gay environment’ led to him feeling ‘deeply sexualised’.
‘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!’
The interview also sees Ncuti discussing his British Vogue Pride issue shoot where he stopped short of defining his sexuality, leaving some confused.
‘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 explains how in his lifetime, the queer community has progressed so far that coming out in the UK is no longer widely deemed a taboo, but many still feel the pressure of 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.’
Ncuti Gatwa quickly became a fan favourite after his debut on Netflix show Sex Education and he has gone on to achieve huge success as he gears up to become the next Doctor Who.
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.’
