Doctor Who's Ncuti Gatwa Talks 'White Mediocrity' & Challenges Black Actors Face in Hollywood
Ncuti Gatwa is sharing his experience as a Black man in Hollywood.
The 31-year-old actor has featured in a number of projects recently, including Barbie and Masters of the Air. He will soon become the first Black actor to portray the iconic Doctor in the popular sci-fi series Doctor Who.
Ncuti recently opened up about the challenges that he and other Black actors face compared to their white counterparts.
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“We’re trained to be like, ‘If I’m not exceptional, I won’t be loved.’ Certainly, I think that was my thing,” he told Attitude magazine. “So, yeah, I think I’m just learning now like, ‘You are allowed to be loved.’ You don’t have to be excellent or aspire to that term, ‘Black excellence.’ What the hell?”
Ncuti continued, “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 shit. You deserve love just for existing.’ And that has taught me to be a lot more loving as well, in a weird way.”
The star also shared his thoughts on the progress that has been made.
“We do see a shift happening in casting, in positions of power and in the status quo,” he explained. “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.”
Watch the trailer and find out the latest casting news for Doctor Who season 14!