Ncuti Gatwa ‘forced to hire security’ after Doctor Who announcement, co-star says
Ncuti Gatwa has a new Doctor Who costume. (Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Actor Ncuti Gatwa hired security for his home and his “entire family” after being announced as the new Doctor Who lead, according to Barbie co-star Simu Liu.
Gatwa was confirmed as the next Doctor on 8 May, having been cast by returning Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies back in February.
As well as his roles in Doctor Who and Sex Education, Gatwa is also set to appear in Greta Gerwig’s movie adaptation of Barbie, starring Margot Robbie as the iconic doll.
Shang-Chi actor Simu Liu, who will also be in the film, has revealed that he found out about Gatwa’s Doctor Who casting while they were filming.
“[He] didn’t tell anyone a thing, and then all of a sudden over the weekend he was announced,” he said, according to Variety.
“We came to work on Monday we were like: ‘Dude, how long have you been holding this in for?’ And he’s like” ‘Two months.'”
Liu continued: “He had to get security in and around not only his place of residence, but the places of residence of his entire family.”
Gatwa rose to fame after portraying gay teen Eric Effiong in Netflix’s Sex Education.
He’ll succeed Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor – however, it’s also been announced that David Tennant is returning to the franchise to mark its 60th anniversary.
It remains unclear whether the two will appear together, or whether Tennant will slot in between Gatwa and Whittaker.
It’s also been announced that Yasmin Finney will join Doctor Who for its anniversary, playing a character named Rose – also the name of Billie Piper’s character.
Finney is best known for her role in Heartstopper, in which she plays a trans teen who recently moved to an all girls’ school.
How it all fits together, and whether Finney will have a recurring role on the show, remain a mystery.
