Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor Who Filming Schedule Cost The Actor A Role In 2024's Strong Oscar Contender With 96% RT Score
Ncuti Gatwa's commitment to filming Doctor Who cost the actor a role in a strong 2024 Oscar contender. Gatwa is best known for playing the Fifteenth Doctor in Doctor Who. The show recently dropped a new Christmas special episode, "Joy to the World," and will return for season 15 in 2025. Gatwa is reprising his role in the upcoming season, which will arrive on both BBC and Disney+.
Following Gatwa's casting as the titular Time Lord in 2023, he made his Doctor Who debut in the 60th anniversary specials. Aside from headlining the long-running fantasy sci-fi series, the Rwandan-Scottish actor appeared in two episodes as Lt. Robert H. Daniels on Masters of the Air and 32 episodes as Eric Effiong on Sex Education. He also starred in Greta Gerwig's record-shattering 2023 movie, Barbie, where he played one of the Kens. In 2024, moviegoers almost get to see Gatwa in another critically acclaimed movie.
Gatwa Dropped Out A Real Pain Due To Schedule Conflicts
Gatwa Was Originally Cast As Eloge
Written, directed, and headlined by The Social Network's Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain is a comedy-drama about two cousins going on a trip in Poland in honor of their grandmother. The critically acclaimed film amassed $9.3 million at the box office with a limited theatrical run against a $3 million production budget and was nominated for four Golden Globes Awards (1 win). With Oscar nominations coming next week, there's a high chance that A Real Pain will be in the mix.
In an interview with Collider, Eisenberg reveals that they initially cast Gatwa as Eloge, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide who has converted to Judaism, played by Kurt Egyiawan. The writer-director explains that they wanted to honor the culture and history Eloge comes from to cast a Rwandan actor. He originally had Gatwa on board for the movie, but due to a schedule change, the Doctor Who actor couldn't commit. The director then turned to his real-life friend, Eloge, who he based the role on, to help with the casting. Check out what Eisenberg said below:
With Kurt, I tried to cast a Rwandan actor. The only Rwandan actor we met with was this brilliant guy, Ncuti Gatwa. He's the current Doctor Who, and he was going to do the movie, but then Doctor Who's schedule changed and so we lost him. And so we were looking for a Rwandan actor, it was really hard to find a Rwandan actor. Kurt's family is Cameroonian and, at that point, I turned it over to Eloge, the real Eloge, and said "Can you help me cast this so this feels respectful to your culture?"
What This Means For A Real Pain
Eisenberg's Casting Refects A Real Pain's Effort To Make Characters Feel Seen
Eloge is based on Eisenberg's real-life friend. With history and culture being a crucial part of Eloge's character, Eisenberg's effort to ensure that the character wouldn't be misrepresented shows the respect he has for his friend, "the real Eloge," and his awareness of cultural appreciation and appropriation in filmmaking, which didn't go unseen in A Real Pain, a film that explores history, complicated family dynamics, and generational trauma. Since its release, A Real Pain has received praise from critics.
Eisenberg previously spoke about his friend, Eloge, who he praised as "a truly brilliant person." The director sheds more light on the character, Eloge, in A Real Pain, who is brilliantly played by Egyiawan (House of the Dragon, The Agency). He explained that Eloge's choice to pick Judaism had everything to do with his past. Having been through genocide, Eloge connects to another culture that has been through "similar" experiences.
Source: Collider
A Real Pain
- Release Date
- January 20, 2024
- Runtime
- 90 Minutes
- Director
- Jesse Eisenberg
- Writers
- Jesse Eisenberg
Cast
Jesse EisenbergDavid
Kieran CulkinBenji
A Real Pain explores themes of identity and loss as two estranged families confront their shared and tumultuous pasts. Through intertwining narratives, the film delves into the complexities of familial relationships and the enduring impact of unresolved grief.
- Studio(s)
- Topic Studios, Fruit Tree, Extreme Emotions, Rego Park
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