Ncuti Gatwa, the Doctor Who star, has admitted that he may have confused people earlier this year by not identifying his sexuality.
The actor, who will play the next Time Lord, rose to prominence in the Netflix series Sex Education as openly homosexual adolescent Eric Effiong.
Ncuti, 31, featured in British Vogue’s Pride issue shoot in June, when he spoke of ‘fighting for his privacy’ in the aftermath of public speculation about his sexuality.
‘It’s a safety and mental-health thing,’ he said at the time.
‘In setting my boundaries, I knew I wanted to separate the private and public, and that I never wanted my personal life to overshadow my work.’
However, he’s now spoken about the ‘confusion’ his comments caused, leading to even more questions about how he identifies.
‘I’m aware of the confusion it caused but I kind of thought that my participation in [the Pride issue] was a statement,’ he said.
‘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 added when speaking to British GQ for its December/January issue.
He did, however, note that while coming out in the UK was no longer largely seen as a taboo for the LGBT community, it was still tough for people figuring out how they identified to be bombarded with inquiries.
‘If you think it’s that easy, I’m happy for you. That’s a very privileged position to be in,’ he said.
‘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, who was born in Rwanda, also choked back tears throughout the interview, remarking of other LGBT people like him “succumbing to a reality that’s been forced on them.”
While homosexuality and gay actions are not banned, Homosexuality is considered a taboo issue in Rwanda, and same-sex partnerships are not legal.
Thinking of queer people in his country of birth, the actor said he would ‘love this person to sneak out at night and come to Pride, or come to a gay bar and live their best life, but a film plays in my head of that person [being confronted by] bouncers, who are like “No, you can’t come in because you’ve not stamped gay on your head”.’
‘They should be able to come in and have a little taste of actual joy,’ he added.
Ncuti revealed up about his sexuality for the first time in August, describing a touching event with Elle UK years ago.
‘I remember being at Manchester Pride, going through the streets with all my boys, shaking my cha-chas, living it up when I saw this woman who looked exactly like my auntie,’ he shared.
‘We were holding hands, and she said to me, “I don’t really know why I’m here. I’m just here.” I told her, “Honey, you don’t need to know. You absolutely. Do not. Need. To. Know. You’re here. Be proud of who you are”.
‘I had never met another queer Rwandan person before.
‘I thought I was the only one in the world.’
GQ Men Of The Year Celebration 2023 is in association with BOSS.
Doctor Who returns on Saturday 25th November on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
