Ncuti Gatwa, the first Black "Doctor Who," complained, "There’s so much White mediocrity that gets celebrated," in a new interview.
Gatwa, an LGBTQ Rwandan immigrant to the U.K., spoke out about a variety of identity-related grievances as the cover model of the "best-selling gay magazine" Attitude for its May/June issue.
When asked about whether he received backlash for being cast as the Doctor, who has primarily been played by White men throughout the decades, he responded that his critics need a better hobby, but also suggested his casting is part of a global shift, "[W]e 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."
"Doctor Who" is a BBC funded show that traces all the way back to the 1960s, with multiple actors playing different incarnations of the time-traveling character known as "the Doctor" as he goes on various sci-fi adventures. The latest iteration of this longstanding franchise has been widely criticized for catering to identity politics.