‘Sex Education’: 3 Things You Didn’t Know About the British Drama Series
The British drama series Sex Education follows high school students attending the fictitious Moordable Secondary School. Aside from the racy sex scenes, the show explores the intricacies of sexual intimacy. Fans of the hit Netflix series are curious about what happens behind the scenes with the cast and crew. Here are some behind the scene details fans might not know about Sex Education.
The cast use different techniques to get into character
Ahead of the Sex Education Season 3 premiere, Aimee Lou Wood (Aimee), Ncuti Gatwa (Eric), Mimi Keene (Ruby), and Asa Butterfield (Otis) sat down with Cosmopolitan UK and talked about what happens on the set of the show.
Eric Effiong is best known for his colorful and loud personality on Sex Education. He is Otis’ best friend, openly gay, and comes from a Nigerian/Ghanaian family background. One thing about Eric that fans love is his fearlessness; he doesn’t care what people think and strives to be his authentic self.
To get into character, Gatwa has a music playlist that helps him channel Eric on-screen. “I have a playlist, and I pick a song for each scene,” he explained. “I have a song for Eric’s whole storyline.”
Additionally, Gatwa assigns each character he plays an astrology sign. In this case, Eric is a Leo. “I will read about a Leo and apply it to his lines. Then, listen to a song and go on to set.”
Wood chimed in and said she tries to remain attentive on set. She plays Aimee Gibbs in the series. Although she may come off ditzy at times, Aimee is very caring and kind. Also, she befriends Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey) later on in the series.
The young actor shared she remains hyper-focused on whoever she’s talking to – since Aimee is always ready to listen. “The best thing for Aimee is really trying to just, fully be present with the person in front of me,” she said. “She’s so in the moment, and she’s so ready to listen to someone like ‘Yeah, OK, Yeah.’”
‘Sex Education’ cast members are encouraged to improvise
One aspect of the show fans love is the reliable humor. Although the cast members must follow a script, fans may not know that some lines are improvised on the spot.
Gatwa shared: “I don’t think there’s been a scene where I’ve certainly never done a scene without improvisation.” He then asked Wood if she improvised some parts in the drama series.
In agreement, Wood said the cast is constantly improvising, although it might be a little excessive at times. “Even if it’s the smallest sprinkle or a small dash. There’s always a bit of an adlib going on. Sometimes too much. Sometimes I’m like, ‘That’s simply me.’”
The ‘Sex Education’ cast lived together during filming
In previous seasons, the cast members of Sex Education would live together during filming. But, due to COVID, the cast/crew were forced to take precautionary measures for the new season. During the interview, Butterfield revealed the living arrangements were different for season 3.
“Some stay in apartments, and some stay in hotels,” he explained. “During the pandemic, it was trickier because nothing was open. You can’t go out to dinner or have a drink. So, it was either having some dinner at someone’s house or just going home.”
Mimi Keene agreed with her co-star, saying, “We couldn’t go out and socialize with people,” she shared. “At least, I had the dogs. So, I was lucky.”
Sex Education Season 3 is streaming now on Netflix.
