Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa reveals heartbreaking reason he still worries about money despite millionaire status
NCUTI Gatwa recently celebrated becoming a millionaire after signing up to Doctor Who.
But the Sex Education star, who is due to play the fifteenth doctor on the BBC One sci-fi series, admits he still checks his bank balance and keeps an eye on his spending.
The star opened up about being homeless and sofa surfing as he worked as a jobbing actor before his big break on the Netflix hit - and it’s left him in disbelief.
Speaking to the , he explained: “A majority of people are one bad incident or one bad pay cheque away from a really drastic situation.
“To this day, I still wake up and check my bank balance and that there’s food in my fridge.
“That’s because of that brief period where I was struggling, and I feel good that I spoke about it because it can happen to anyone and can be extremely difficult to get out of.
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“There’s just so much judgement towards people who are homeless.
“As someone who grew up working class, who didn’t have money but now has some – and I’m sat here now in my Prada loafers – seeing how the world reacts to you differently depending on your situation is wild.”
Ncuti’s debut on Doctor Who is coming up soon on Christmas Day on BBC One.
He will take over from current doctor David Tennant, who returned for special episodes to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the series this month - marking a ‘dream come true’ for the actor.
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Ncuti added: “David was my Doctor and such a great inspiration to me as an actor.
“I would have been 13 – a pivotal time. And firstly, he’s Scottish. Plus he was so charismatic and fun. I felt an affinity to that so for him of all people to be handing the baton over, it just feels really surreal.”
Despite taking inspiration from David’s performance, the Barbie movie actor is excited to bring his own spin to the character.
Ncuti concluded of his new role: “It’s felt like I’ve been the Doctor and also had to hold off from being the Doctor for most of the last two years, so - how do I feel about people seeing it? Ready, but so nervous.
“I think that is for everyone to see at Christmas, you know what it’s like. Anything I say will get dissected, people will be like, this is exactly what it’s going to be. And I don’t want to paint anyone’s perceptions. But I guess he is very human.”