“It was tricky. It became this big Sudoku thing of looks and styles,” said director Ben Taylor about casting the show “Sex Education.” “It’s quite a deep ensemble cast.”
The show is a mix of familiar faces like Asa Butterfield (“Hugo,” “Ender’s Game”) and fresh talent. “There are people who have never been on a set before,” said Ben.
Writer and creator Laurie Nunn added, “We went through lots of different people to find the right fit. I’m so happy with all of them, they’re just amazing.”
The show, which Netflix calls “a contemporary British love letter to the classic American high school story” is about an awkward kid named Otis and a tough girl named Maeve who set up an underground sex therapy clinic in their high school. The characters are complex—they’re not cookie cutter stereotypes. They’re layered, they’re flawed, they’re relatable.
Because of the show’s theme, experienced actors or not, the cast members had to deal with shooting sex scenes. “You can’t avoid it in the show. It’s in the title,” said Laurie.
“The concept of going on set is intimidating. The concept of going on set, taking off your clothes and pretending to have sex with somebody… I can’t begin to imagine how scary it is,” said Ben.
And so to help them, intimacy director Ita O’Brien was hired. “We had an intimacy workshop. Our intimacy director was a very good part of the team. She sort of became the mom and the go-between. It was all very good,” said Ben. “It really helped, it opened up conversations with the actors. Some of the sex days were some of the funnest because they are so ridiculous.”
“It was important particularly in this climate to know that everybody felt safe and secure and that if there was a problem, they could raise it. I think it’s the way forward,“ said Laurie.
The sex scenes are fun and funny to watch, sure, but there is so much more to “Sex Education” than awkward intimacy. The show’s characters shine in their strangeness, surprising you by making you laugh (and sometimes cry) and inevitably touching you.
Here are the kids of “Sex Education.” They’re young, they’re awkward, they have issues, they’ll steal your heart. We enjoyed them immensely in all eight episodes of the first season and, dear Netflix, we want to see them more.
ASA BUTTERFIELD
as Otis Milburn
“Asa is such a gift. He’s just a magical guy,” said Ben.
Asa plays Otis, the son of two sex therapists. “I thought Otis’ character was very funny and kind of sweet. It was nice to be able to do a character who is bumbling, who is a bit awkward but has this journey of becoming this sex guru essentially,” Asa said.
“Asa just draws you in. He’s just fantastic,” said Laurie. “We’re like the Asa fan club. We love Asa!”
Part of playing Otis meant having what Ben calls “an encyclopedic set of wanking scenes.”
Asa said, “How did I prepare for that? I don’t know. It’s very funny. It’s weird. It’s a very personal thing and it’s strange to reenact that with a whole crew around you watching it. The first couple of times were awkward. I can’t believe I was doing it. But after a while it does become run of the mill.”
NCUTI GATWA
as Eric Effiong
“I’m very happy and very, very, very excited. Just joyous. Can you imagine? I’m on a Netflix show. It’s lit,” said Ncuti Gatwa.
We couldn’t decide who we’re in love with more: Ncuti or Eric Effiong, the colorful character he plays. Ncuti said, “We’re both loud, we’re both African. There’s a lot of similarities and there’s a lot of differences as well.”
Eric is Otis’ best friend. He’s gay and comfortably out of the closet but still has to face issues about his identity. His scenes are some of the most touching in the show. “The script is just amazing and I never read anything like that before. How cool to be a part of something that’s never been done before. I fell in love with my character.”
Ncuti has some awkward scenes as well, including one with a banana. “Every single episode, I’ve said, ‘Lord, what?’ What is this boy up to now? What are you lot doing? Yeah, you’re gonna watch the show and you’re gonna gasp.”
He’s had to warn his parents about the show. “I’ve warned them that they’re gonna see their son in a different light. But they’re very very supportive and they understand the nature of the job but yeah, I have warned them that he is an interesting young man and they’re looking forward to seeing it.”
He hopes the show would relieve a little pressure from the teens watching it. “I think high school is such a pressure cooker. Whatever journey you’re on, don’t compare yourself to others. You’re cool, you’re good, just be calm, calm down.”
EMMA MACKEY
as Maeve Wiley
Pink-haired Maeve, the girl Emma Mackey plays, is a badass. She lives alone and has to support herself, finding different ways to make extra cash. Emma said, “At 17, I was already living alone… I was definitely not as fierce as Maeve. I was more naive and polite and apologetic. But I was definitely independent by 17. I had to toughen up quite quickly and yes in that respect, I’m very similar to her.”
Emma created a Maeve Wiley playlist to get into her character. “There’s a lot of The Smiths. There’s Bikini Kill. T. Rex, like there’s a hundred songs on it.”
She enjoyed bonding with her costars. “In the first two weeks, we were in the Welsh countryside in the middle of nowhere, in this amazing house and there was no signal whatsoever. We spent two weeks just talking to each other and joking around and watching each other do the scenes. It was really sweet.”
She likens it to being in a summer camp. Emma said, “I’m so thankful that we got put in this group together, this weird and wonderful group because I think we just hold each other together and we all stay grounded.”
AIMEE LOU WOOD
as Aimee Gibbs
Aimee Lou Woods, a graduate of Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, calls her road to show business boring. “I was, you know, the weird kid at school who made friends by making people laugh and that just grew into acting.”
Aimee had originally auditioned for the role of Lily, a girl with very specific kinks who is determined to lose her virginity. “Personally, I want to play the weirdos,” she said.
But she was asked to read for the part of Aimee instead. No, the character wasn’t named after her, “It was coincidence. It was fate,” she said.
She soon discovered that Aimee is her own weirdo too. “Laurie’s such a good writer. She could have made Aimee so much more of a basic but she’s just not and I actually love her.”
Aimee Lou had the pressure of being part of the show’s first sex scene. “It seems scary when you read the script. It’s like, aaaaah! But then when you do it, it’s just the best feeling especially because it’s not gratuitous or just stupid, like, “Boobs!” Every sex scene is there because it supports the story and you learn so much about the characters through how they have sex. It’s so liberating. I feel like after “Sex Education,“ I can do anything. Nothing’s gonna scare me… except maybe sharks.”
Watching “Sex Education” for the first time was a pleasant surprise for her. “I thought it was gonna be a lot sillier than it ended up being… It’s got so much heart. Everyone has such an arc, everyone grows. I’ve been really happy about how moving it is as well. It’s just honest. It’s real and unflinching and I love that. It’s rare that you get that.”
She added, “I want people who are watching who are around my age to feel less lonely and know that all of the stuff that they’re worried about privately is so normal and everyone’s going through it but nobody’s talking about it because everyone’s trying to like save face and look cool.
CONNOR SWINDELLS
as Adam Groff
“Connor Swindells’s casting tape came up and I thought, “That is Adam. That is exactly how I imagined him,” said Laurie.
Ben agreed. “It was definitely like, just call off the search, just hire him.”
Connor, who plays Adam, a bad boy with anger problems and daddy issues, was originally a boxer. “I got injured when I was 17 and I took a couple of weeks off and in that couple of weeks off I realized I don’t want to get punched in the head anymore. I had been punched in the head too much so I did sh*t in school, I was horrendous in school, I didn’t care for it at all. The only other really real option was working on a building site which I was doing with my brothers and I did not want to do that. I got lucky and fell into acting.”
He says working on “Sex Education” “has been so fun.” “We had such a good time doing this job, everyone became really good friends. I always dreamed of being on a TV show where everyone would be like a family. I never thought that I would get it.”
Adam is a conflicted figure. Connor said, “He is just a troubled young man who is extremely insecure about who he is. We definitely have similarities. I’ve struggled with masculinity issues my whole life or identity issues as well like a lot of boys do.”
A big part of Adam’s storyline is his troubled relationship with his father (played by Alistair Petrie) who also happens to be the school headmaster. “Alistair is amazing. He’s the best. Me and him, we were just cracking each other up every day on set. He’s sort of like a father figure I have now. He’s a super creative guy and generous guy and we had the best time just fleshing out that relationship.”
KEDAR WILLIAMS-STIRLING
as Jackson Marchetti
Kedar Williams-Stirling (“Shank,” “Wolfblood,” “Will”) plays the overachieving and seemingly perfect Jackson. Kedar has been performing since he was a child, playing Young Simba in “The Lion King” when he was 9. “I danced from when I was really young so I’ve been kind of physical,” he said.
But playing an athlete like Jackson was a different challenge. “He’s a swimmer so I had to change up my… it’s a different discipline. The breathing is crazy. I really had to embody that and just be disciplined with my food and drinking.”
He enjoyed bonding with the cast. “We cooked together, played Laser Quest.”
Kedar talked about the importance of trusting your costars, something he enjoyed with Emma, with whom he shared a lot of scenes. “A lot of acting is reacting and I think if you trust the other person, especially when you’re vulnerable, it’s support. There’s not much room for embarrassment because you believe in the other person.”
We asked him: will there be more seasons of “Sex Education”? “If you guys watch it. It’s up to you guys, really.”