Ncuti Gatwa, the first Black Doctor Who, was extremely outspoken in a new interview.
Gatwa is an LGBTQ Rwandan immigrant to the U.K. and made his comments to the magazine Attitude for its May/June issue.
Asked about backlash on his assuming the role of Doctor Who, he said that it’s all part of a shift. “We do see a shift happening in casting, in positions of power and in the status quo. I mean, not a fast shift, things could tip over the other way a little bit quicker. But you see people kind of malfunctioning because things are changing.”
Ncuti talked of his battle for acceptance. “There’s so much White mediocrity that gets celebrated, and Black people, we have to be absolutely flawless to get half of [that] anyway. So, I’m slowly training myself out of that and being like, ‘No sh–. You deserve love just for existing.’”
Gatwa was asked about the U.K.’s struggle with gender diversity and trans identities.
“Everything trickles down from the top, and when you see politicians openly attacking marginalized communities, when you see our politicians openly attacking trans people, it makes it OK for everyone else,” Gatwa said. “And it is scary to see that we’ve got to a point where it is fine to attack vulnerable people because that’s essentially what’s happening. People who are the most vulnerable, the most disenfranchised, most disconnected from everyone else are being told that they are the threats.”
He added, “It’s sick because it’s a hiding away of your own ineptitude. You’re going to put the blame on immigrants, Black and Brown people, trans people, queer people, to hide the fact that you are not doing anything for people? It’s easier to just create discord amongst people. It’s divide and conquer, isn’t it?”
Gatwa said that “We’ve got to keep pushing for more. Lots and lots and lots and lots more diversity, lots more inclusion on our screen. Lots and lots and lots of it for all you male gamons out there!”
In U.K. slang, the term “gamon” refers to the color of a person’s flushed face when expressing their strong opinions, as compared to the type of pork of the same name.