Sex Education returns for its fourth and final season September 21st on Netflix and, ahead of the series’ final episodes, star Ncuti Gatwa is opening up about his role as Eric Effiong, revealing that playing the role was “healing”. Speaking with Elle (via Variety), the Barbie star spoke about how the show shifted his perspective on a lot of things and also helped him deal with internalized hate he experienced.
“I’ve experienced racism my whole life and while I always believed in myself, always knew [racists] were stupid and uneducated, I guess it did misinform my view of how the world works,” Gatwa said. “It makes you think everyone has that opinion and you’ll continually have to fight through life — then you learn that you don’t: you can find a tribe, you can find your people.”
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Gatwa went on to specifically address the impact of his character.
“He’s so fierce and unashamed,” he said. “It was healing for me, and great for people to see themselves represented. It taught me the importance of representation; it’s so powerful and necessary.”
What Can Fans Expect in Season 4 of Sex Education?
According to Netflix, “Following the closure of Moordale Secondary, Otis (Butterfield) and Eric (Gatwa) now face a new frontier – their first day at Cavendish Sixth Form College. Otis is nervous about setting up his new clinic, whilst Eric is praying they won’t be losers again. But Cavendish is a culture shock for all the Moordale students – they thought they were progressive but this new college is another level. There’s daily yoga in the communal garden, a strong sustainability vibe and a group of kids who are popular for being… kind?!”
“Viv (Ezeudu) is totally thrown by the college’s student-led, non-competitive approach, while Jackson (Williams-Stirling) is still struggling to get over Cal. Aimee (Wood) tries something new by taking an Art A-Level and Adam (Swindells) grapples with whether mainstream education is for him,” they continued. “Over in the US, Maeve (Mackey) is living her dream at prestigious Wallace University, being taught by cult author Thomas Molloy (Levy). Otis is pining after her, whilst adjusting to not being an only child at home, or the only therapist on campus…”
Gatwa Said He Kept Getting Lost in Ryan Gosling’s Eyes on the Set of Barbie
In addition to the upcoming final season of Sex Education, Gatwa is currently starring in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and the actor recently revealed that he struggled with imposter syndrome early on in filming —
including getting lost in the eyes of his fellow Ken, Gosling.
“Inside it’s such a mess: I have so much impostor syndrome. I have so many insecurities. I like to make other people feel happy so there’s less focus on me. I become this loud figure that’s cracking jokes all the time. It comes across as confidence, but at the heart of it, it’s not. Real confidence is something I have to work on daily.”
“I was so nervous I hardly spoke for the first month [on set],” Gatwa explained. “There was a time when I was talking to [director] Greta [Gerwig] and I turned around and Ryan Gosling was looking at me, and his eyes were so blue that I just… fell over. I just drowned in his eyes.”
Barbie is in theaters now. Sex Education Season 4 arrives on Netflix September 21st.
