What Were The Actors Doing Before The Hit Show Aired?
Sex Education has become one of Netflix's most popular original series, depicting the lives of high school friends and frenemies navigating love, heartache, friendships, and sex. The British television show premiered in 2019 and quickly went from a word of mouth favorite, to mainstream popularity. Audiences love Sex Education for its humor and raw honesty when it comes to figuring out life and love in high school. Its American television show counterparts, like Euphoria and the Gossip Girl reboot, also center around the depiction of what teenagers are really up to these days. But Sex Education stands out because of the radiating chemistry amongst its cast members.
Season three hit Netflix's top 10 after its debut, and a fourth season was announced in September. Since premiering, the show has expanded its character development and added newcomers. Girls star Jemima Kirke played Mooredale's mean principal with conservative values, and Mimi Keene's Regina-George esque character Ruby gets her heart broken by Otis. The main cast since season one is comprised of a mix of actors with familiar faces and fresh faces. Here are the other movies and television shows the main cast of Sex Education have starred in.
8 Gillian Anderson Was On The 'X-Files'
Before Gillian Anderson was cast as Dr. Jean F. Milburn, mother to Otis, beloved by students of Moordale Secondary School, and everyone’s favorite sex therapist, Anderson reached her own cult fandom on The X-Files. She played the iconic role of Agent Dana Scully for the sci-fi show’s entire nine seasons from 1993-2002. She received multiple awards for her portrayal of Scully including Emmy, Golden Globes, and SAG wins. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Anderson describes having “mini breakdowns” towards the end of her time on The X-Files, and stepping away from a character she played for so long. “I had a good couple of mini breakdowns during that, and at the end, could not talk about it, could not see it, could not see pictures... I needed to immerse immediately in theater in another country. And then after a while, I was able to embrace it again…When you immerse yourself so entirely... such long periods of time, there’s not going to be no consequence to that. Of course there’s going to be consequence to that.” After The X-Files, Anderson went on to star in London theatre productions including The Vagina Monolouges, What The Night Is For, and A Streetcar Named Desire. In between filming for Sex Education, Anderson portrayed Margaret Thatcher on The Crown, earning her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
7 Asa Butterfield Was In 'Hugo'
Asa Butterfield has proven to be a rising young actor in Hollywood since portraying the endearing "sexy geek" Otis Milburn. Butterfield has starred in major feature films since his younger years. One of his first break out performances was in the 2011 film Hugo, an enchanting adventure film directed by Martin Scorsese. The 3D film was a breakout hit at the time, and it earned eleven Oscar nominations. The film was set in 1930s Paris and it focused on Asa's title character Hugo, a twelve-year-old boy who lives in secret at the Gare Montparnasse train station. Hugo maintains the clocks at the train station, and has a knack for mechanical DIY projects, a skill he inherited from his father (played by Jude Law.) Hugo journeys in search of a heart shaped key to bring an Automaton back to life, hoping to discover hidden messages from the past and learn more about his father. The film also stars Chloë Grace Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Ben Kingsley. Asa has starred in other enchanting films, including Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children and Nanny McPhee Returns.
6 Ncuti Gatwa Studied At The Royal Conservatoire Of Scotland
Ncuti Gatwa plays Otis' (hilarious) BFF Eric Effiong. Prior to his breakout success on Sex Education, Gatwa studied theatre acting at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, which is where he grew up. (He was born in Rwanda but moved with his family to Scotland in 1994 to flee the genocide.) He has appeared on the London stage in A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips. Just five months before landing his role on Sex Education, Gatwa has said he was "homeless" and couch surfing, while having a temp job at Harrods' fragrance counter.
5 Emma Mackey Went To Theatre School In London
Just like her literary obsessed character Maeve Wiley, Emma Mackey was focused on academic studies before pursuing a career in acting. Mackey studied Literature and English at Leeds University before going to theatre school in London. In an interview with Stylistshe describes wanting to leave France as soon as she turned 18, and felt her humor was accepted more in London. Her confidence and wit shines through her role as Maeve, and Mackey refers to her start on Sex Education as somewhat of an overnight transformation. “Everything moved so fast, I still haven’t quite gotten my head round it," Mackey said in 2020. Just six months before being casted in Sex Education she was still a nanny and in acting school.
4 Connor Swindells Was In 'Emma'
Adam Groff is known for his rough and tough exterior, but on the inside he is just as sensitive and self conscious as the other characters. Playing the show's "bad boy" wasn't difficult for Swindells, as he spent his younger years (before acting) training to be a boxer. While working in construction and boxing, he auditioned for a local play, only after his friends dared him to. From there he gained an interest in acting, and his first movie roles included Emma (starring Anya Taylor-Joy) and The Vanishing (starring Gerard Butler.)
3 Aimee Lou Wood Studied At The Royal Acadamy Of Dramatic Art
Like most of her Sex Education co-stars, Aimee Lou Wood was a theatre actress before landing the part of Aimee Gibbs. The real life Aimee studied at the Royal Acadamy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, and has appeared in productions of Mary Stuart, Downstate, and Uncle Vanya.
2 Kedar Williams-Stirling Attended Italia Conti Academy Of Theatre Arts
Jackson Marchetti may not have been Mooredale's top theatre performer, but Kedar Williams-Stirling has been a successful working actor for years. He attended the prestigious Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London, and after graduating went on to appear in Doctors, The Bill, and Silent Witness. His first reccurring role was on the hit fantasy series Wolfblood, where he played Tom Okanawe from 2012-2014. Before Sex Education he appeared in TNT's Will, which was a fictionalized television series about the early life of William Shakespeare.
1 Alistair Petrie Was In 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'
Alistair Petrie is one of those actors, who when you see him, you think, "I've seen this guy before." On Sex Education he plays Michael Groff, the former principal of Mooredale, the foil figure to Dr. Milburn's character, and Adam Groff's father. The veteran British actor has appeared in popular films like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Rush, and The Bank Job. According to his IMDb credits, he has been acting in televison and film since the early 1990's.
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