Ncuti Gatwa addresses 'Doctor Who' casting backlash

London: "Sex Education" star Ncuti Gatwa says he couldn't believe the backlash that arose when he was roped in to play the lead role in the long-running BBC series "Doctor Who".

In an interview with the Attitude magazine, the 31-year-old actor, who has been cast as the first Black actor to play the iconic character, spoke about the negative social media reaction to his casting and how he has not kept up with it. "It is kind of fascinating to me because there’s so much energy they’re putting into it. You are so angry over something so inconsequential that you can’t be an interesting person. You can’t have much in your life. I don’t have the time to do that," the actor, who is still shooting for the series, said.

"...I think they need to go find a hobby is one thing. But another thing is that 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," he said.

The actor said it often becomes difficult for black actors to get better opportunities compared to their white colleagues.

"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 s***. You deserve love just for existing.’ And that has taught me to be a lot more loving as well, in a weird way," said Gatwa, who replaces Jodie Whittaker in the series.

One of the longest running TV shows, "Doctor Who" is a time-travelling sci-fi drama that revolves around the adventures of an extraterrestrial being called the Doctor, who is part of a humanoid species called Time Lords. The actor also featured in "The Last Letter from Your Lover" and "Barbie".