\u201cOh, I hated it,\u201d series star Mimi Keene tells RadioTimes.com<\/a>. \u201c<\/span>I never wore my uniform in school \u2013 I was the one that always got called up for not wearing the right thing. I love my costumes, they\u2019re my favourite part of it. That\u2019s how I get into character in the morning \u2013 I get my costume on and I\u2019m like, \u2018Yeah, Ruby\u2019s here\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Keene has played popular Ruby Matthews since the teen comedy-drama\u2019s inception, but the next batch of episodes will see her take on a more prominent role as the series explores her background and what lies beneath the character\u2019s \u2018mean girl\u2019 exterior. \u201c<\/span>I was less surprised by her [previously] because she was more sort of one way \u2013 she\u2019s mean, she\u2019s selfish, it\u2019s all about her\u2026 that\u2019s sort of the vibe,\u201d Keene explains. \u201cBut when I read this season, she got to open up and you got to see her vulnerable side and see the way that she truly is. The way that she\u2019s portrayed herself is sort of like a facade almost until this point.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think when you play a character for, like, a couple of years, you build who they are in your mind, and you make a story for them, and their background. So to be able to open that up to the audience was something that I was really excited to do when I read it.\u201d<\/span><\/p> The new season delves into Ruby\u2019s difficult family life \u2013 it\u2019s a recurring theme in Sex Education that characters who might seem like stock types familiar from countless other high school dramas (the jock, the bully, the nerd) reveal themselves to have hidden layers and now it\u2019s the turn of Keene\u2019s character.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was very different,\u201d she says of depicting an as-yet-unseen part of Ruby\u2019s life. \u201cBeing able to show someone\u2019s home life gives you way more opportunities to delve into that character. So for me, that was probably one of the most challenging parts, because she\u2019s very embarrassed of who she is. Playing someone who\u2019s feeling shame and feeling embarrassed is very different to what\u2019s come before. She\u2019s never been embarrassed before. She\u2019s just proud of everything and who she is.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to give away too much. But what she goes through in her home life, I think is something that\u2026 you don\u2019t see it because it\u2019s something that people go through at home. That\u2019s something that not a lot of people see, [especially] if it\u2019s the kind of person that hides themselves, and portrays something that isn\u2019t really true. So <\/span>that was really, really challenging, but very, very good for me this season. I feel very lucky that I got to do it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Having joined Sex Education in its second season, Chinenye Ezeudu is also getting to play a different side to her character Viv Odusanya this year. A quiz team member who agreed to tutor Jackson Marchetti (Jackson Marchetti) but also ended up supporting Moordale\u2019s head boy through a severe bout of anxiety and depression, Ezeudu says that she was shocked by where the new episodes took Viv and she expects fans to have a similar reaction.<\/p>\n \u201cI was surprised how far that would go to succeed and where ambition takes her,\u201d she hints. \u201cI think Viv is a surprising character. And if we go beyond surface level with her, she has so much depth. She\u2019s going through a lot this season and it really reminds me of when I was at school, trying to figure things out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n As for what\u2019s next for Viv and Jackson \u2013 Sex Education fandom appears split on whether they should remain friends or couple up \u2013 Ezeudu quips, \u201cThey get married \u2013 episode one! No, I feel this season, it kind of explores the ups and downs of their relationship. Viv found her tribe in Jackson and Jackson found his tribe in Viv\u00a0 but there\u2019s a lot of tension this season between them. Ultimately, maybe they\u2019re together. maybe they\u2019re not, you know?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Last season did see an unlikely hook-up between Ruby and the show\u2019s amateur sex therapist Otis (Asa Butterfield) and though Keene is tight-lipped on whether they\u2019ll pair up permanently, a trailer for the third season<\/a> does seem to hint at their union being more than a one-time thing.<\/p>\n Read more: Sex Education season 3 review<\/a>: A fun, raunchy and joy-filled ride<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI suppose people are expecting <\/span>something<\/span><\/i> because of the way last season ended,\u201d says Keene. \u201cYou\u2019ve only really seen them having, like, a couple of exchanges \u2013 and I won\u2019t give away too much, but they\u2019re taking it to a slightly different level this season.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very funny to see those two together\u2026 I think the best part about it is how they sort of bounce off each other because he\u2019s so kind of awkward and polite. And she just says it how it is\u2026 but you know, she\u2019s not completely dead on the inside either. So that\u2019s probably the bit I\u2019m most excited for people to see \u2013 the dynamic between the two of them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The Otis\/Ruby pairing has proven popular amongst a contingent of fans, some of whom are even calling for Otis to end up with Keene\u2019s character rather than his established love interest Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey). \u201cI really respect the people who support Ruby even though she\u2019s not the easiest to support,\u201d says Keene with a smile. \u201cYou know, I think they\u2019re the people who see through it. They see what she\u2019s actually like, so I appreciate those people very much.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t look at it [the fan reaction] too much, but it\u2019s nice to hear. I\u2019m glad that people think that it\u2019s a good idea. And hopefully they\u2019ll be pleased with what they get this season\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Established relationships aside, both Ezeudu and Keene are hoping to strike up new on-screen partnerships if (or more probably when) Sex Educations returns for a fourth season. \u201cI want to do a scene with Ncuti [Gatwa, who plays Eric],\u201d says Ezeudu. \u201cI haven\u2019t done any scenes with him. I would love to work with Gillian [Anderson, who plays Jean Milburn] at some stage. I\u2019ve not had a scene with her. Ever.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She laughs: \u201cI just think she\u2019s really cool. I\u2019ve seen her in the distance and I\u2019m like, \u2018Wow, she\u2019s cool\u2019.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Keene picks Jim Howick as eccentric science teacher Colin Hendricks, citing a scene where Howick\u2019s on-set antics led to repeated outbursts of giggling as one of her favourite Sex Education memories. \u201cBen Taylor, the director, was like, \u2018Guys, seriously, come on, we\u2019ve got to get this scene before the sun goes down\u2026\u2019 it was so funny. So I did experience it [working with Howick] there but I\u2019d like to experience it more.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It remains to be seen what exactly the future holds for two of Sex Education\u2019s most memorable characters \u2013 though one other of Keene\u2019s long-held wishes has already come true, with her pet dog, Baby, making a cameo appearance in the new season. \u201cI\u2019ve never been this proud in my life,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m a proud mother. I\u2019ve been trying to get her in since season one \u2013\u00a0 I\u2019ve been, like, slowly, slowly, bringing her with me every day, letting everyone get to know her\u2026 <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s a star, she is. She\u2019s a diva, but she\u2019s allowed \u2013 she\u2019s the one person that\u2019s allowed. Now she just needs a red carpet moment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Sex Education returns to Netflix on Friday 17th November \u2013 read our guides to the best series on Netflix<\/a> and the best movies on Netflix<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Visit our Drama<\/a> hub for more news and features, or find something to watch with our TV Guide<\/a>. Read more of our Big RT Interviews<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n The cast of the acclaimed Netflix series open up about the third season’s surprising twists, ruining takes and school uniforms. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":4577,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/sex-educations-mimi-keene-and-chinenye-ezeudu-on-otis-and-ruby-viv-and-jackson-and-scene-stealing-pet-dogs.jpg",620,413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/sex-educations-mimi-keene-and-chinenye-ezeudu-on-otis-and-ruby-viv-and-jackson-and-scene-stealing-pet-dogs-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/sex-educations-mimi-keene-and-chinenye-ezeudu-on-otis-and-ruby-viv-and-jackson-and-scene-stealing-pet-dogs-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/sex-educations-mimi-keene-and-chinenye-ezeudu-on-otis-and-ruby-viv-and-jackson-and-scene-stealing-pet-dogs.jpg",620,413,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/sex-educations-mimi-keene-and-chinenye-ezeudu-on-otis-and-ruby-viv-and-jackson-and-scene-stealing-pet-dogs.jpg",620,413,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/sex-educations-mimi-keene-and-chinenye-ezeudu-on-otis-and-ruby-viv-and-jackson-and-scene-stealing-pet-dogs.jpg",620,413,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/sex-educations-mimi-keene-and-chinenye-ezeudu-on-otis-and-ruby-viv-and-jackson-and-scene-stealing-pet-dogs.jpg",620,413,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The cast of the acclaimed Netflix series open up about the third season's surprising twists, ruining takes and school uniforms.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/4576"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\""Viv\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/09\/sex-education-season-3-viv-jackson-ad16f40.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"sex-education-season-3-viv-jackson\"\\"")
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