The 28-year-old added that Eric and Adam’s romance takes on a different trajectory when—spoiler alert—the Effiong family travels back to Nigeria. “[Eric] learns how to kind of incorporate a lot of elements of himself, in terms of his religion and his race and his culture and he’s in a place where it’s illegal to be gay,” he said. “And yet, in that space he has a moment where he ends up being the most seen he’s ever felt. Somebody says like, ‘I know the shoes that you’re standing in,’ and I think he learns that he needs to find happiness within himself.”
He added, “So, for me, I would love Eric to find happiness within himself and strength within himself, and know that he doesn’t have to reduce or shrink himself at any point for anyone else’s growth.”
And this “complexity,” Ncuti said, is what makes it “so fun” to portray Eric. He explained, “As an actor, it’s really juicy, because there’s a lot to get my teeth into.”
So critics, there you have it.
Season three of Sex Education is streaming now on Netflix.