Back to All News
Meet the Actor Playing Sex Education's' New Non-Binary Character Cal
Netflix Staff
Entertainment
15 September 2021
GlobalUnited Kingdom (Great Britain)
Three seasons in, and Sex Education is still finding new terrain to explore. This year, that includes introducing a non-binary student, Cal. In the writers' room, we discussed what parts of the LGBTQ spectrum we hadn't addressed in the show yet, and Cal's character was a natural extension of that discussion, says series creator Laurie Nunn. We knew they'd bring a new perspective to the show, and we worked very closely with non-binary consultants to make sure we were approaching that narrative with authenticity.
That included casting a non-binary actor, newcomer Dua Saleh, in the role. Ahead of the series' return on September 17, we spoke with Saleh about being cast in the drama, finding Cal's specific sense of style and what they hope viewers take away from this season.
How did you end up taking on this new role? Were you a big fan of the first two seasons of Sex Education?
I found out about the show through friends. I hadnt watched it previously because I thought it was for teenagers, but when the show reached out to me about casting, I watched all of it. I can honestly say that its one of the best shows Ive ever watched. Sex Education has some of the most thoughtful, thought-provoking, funny, and playful work. I auditioned for Cal and sent in a tape, then I did a chemistry read with Kedar Williams-Stirling, who plays Jackson. When I found out I got the role, I freaked out, obviously. It's changed my life and challenged me. This is my first major acting role. I'm a musician and I was making music way before acting came along. I've learned a lot through this experience and am so thankful.
How would you describe your character, and what about them appealed to you as an actor?
Cal is a non-binary student at Moordale who's very laidback. Theyre a skater, a stoner, a lover; theyre very free-spirited. They bring me a lot of joy. I think theyre a very well-thought-out character in the way that they talk to people, the way that they approach challenges, the way that they always meet people with softness. I think theyre also just a teenager trying to figure things out. I think the biggest appeal in playing Cal was that their journey isn't all about trauma. That's not something that a lot of non-binary people can say about the characters they're given the opportunity to play. I had a lot of conversations with Laurie Nunn, with the writers, with the non-binary consultants they hired, about how to portray a non-binary person in the best way possible. I felt really held throughout that entire process, and everyone was attentive to my needs and level of comfort.
Cal isn't the only non-binary student at Moordale who we meet this season, correct?A remarkable thing that they did this season was include another non-binary character named Layla. We see the differences between Cal and Layla, in their personalities and their journeys with their identities. We see how they each deal with binding, dealing with school, navigating conflicts - they're very different. I think its beautiful that they portrayed non-binary characters in a way that shows they're not a monolith.
Can you talk a bit about Cal's costuming and overall look this season? What does it visually communicate about them?
The way that Cal dressed was very important, and the creative team was very particular about the way that they depicted Cal. Their hair is braided intricately in a way that's true to Cals gender fluidity. And they styled Cal in baggier, more free-form clothing, comfortable clothing. They were always thinking about gender, and were intentional about how to allow Cal to feel more free and liberated. I think they did a remarkable job.
How do you hope fans will feel at the end of this season?
I want people to feel validated. Cal is a non-binary, Black character, and I want people to think, "Oh, my gosh, I can believe Ive seen myself on this series. I can believe Ive seen myself represented in mainstream media." That's what I want the most.
Sex Education Season 3 debuts September 17 on Netflix.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
06/07/2026
Digital Domain Appoints Industry Veteran Patrick Davenport as Executive Vice Pre...
06/07/2026
Gravity Media USA appoints Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development
Brie Clayton July 6, 2026
0 Comments
The strategic new appointment supports...
06/07/2026
Remote Editing Without Cloud Storage in Resolve
Michael Cioni July 6, 2026
0 Comments
This is a step-by-step guide that demonstrates how to setup your...
06/07/2026
Automatic Caption Translation in Adobe Premiere Pro
Colin Smith July 6, 2026
0 Comments
Here I showcase the innovative automatic caption translation f...
06/07/2026
Flavor's First Ever Managing Director Neal Cohen Retires; Longstanding Execu...
06/07/2026
How Adam Rosenwach Pivoted from Music to Medtech Without Missing a Beat What do the rehearsal room and the boardroom have in common? More than you might think...
06/07/2026
Zhongyi Optics unveils the Dreamy Zone T1 FF Cine Lens Series on Indiegogo with ...
06/07/2026
Fresh from his World Cup heroics with Cabo Verde, Roberto Pico' Lopes will join the RT panel for Argentina v Egypt tomorrow and for the England v Norway q...
06/07/2026
Nations have long invested in domestic infrastructure to advance their economies, protect and use their data, and take advantage of technology opportunities in ...
06/07/2026
Every year, the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) reveals where thousands of AI researchers have decided to put their work.
This year's ...
06/07/2026
A death can be unsuspicious, but it has to be explained
What happened to Ke...
05/07/2026
We've gone to another level of integrating the graphics into the set architecture -Zac Fields, Fox Sports, SVP of Graphic Technology and Integration...
05/07/2026
Browser-based and desktop apps available
Digital Sunset Studios have been busy working on an interesting project: a free software tool that provides compute...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
02/07/2026
BLAST, a competitive entertainment company focused on esports, has announced more than $133 million in revenue for 2025, representing more than 40% year-over-ye...
02/07/2026
Riedel Communications has announced official SKAARHOJ panel support for SimplyLive production workflows, enabled through the SimplyLive 2.1 release. The integra...
02/07/2026
The Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic has deployed LiveU video-over-bond...
02/07/2026
Gravity Media USA has announced the appointment of Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development, effective July 1, 2026. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Bosto...
02/07/2026
TwelveLabs, a video intelligence company, has announced $100 million in Series B funding co-led by NEA and NAVER Ventures, with participation from Amazon, Radic...
02/07/2026
The Pro Padel League (PPL) has announced a broadcast partnership with USA Sports that will air five PPL championship matches on CNBC during the 2026 season, the...
02/07/2026
LiveLike, a digital fan engagement platform, has announced eight confirmed FIFA ...
02/07/2026
Cobalt Digital has received Future's Best of Show Award, presented by AV Technology at InfoComm 2026, for its blueCORE family of standalone signal processor...
02/07/2026
Synamedia has announced the appointment of Dr. Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transition...
02/07/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) and Sony Group Corporation have announced an expanded collaboration for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), taking place in Paris, Fra...
02/07/2026
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. ( Z') has announced exclusive broadcast and digital rights for the Bundesliga in India for five years, beginning with the...
02/07/2026
An effort uniting News, Sports, Local, and Telemundo, the 50+-camera live produc...
02/07/2026
Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Ben Wang appe...
02/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
02/07/2026
A new era in unmixing and spectral editing
The latest version of Steinberg's spectral audio-editing software has just arrived, building on the strength...
Back to All News
