Ncuti Gatwa’s roles have taken him to some truly wild places. As the titular Doctor in Doctor Who, he fought supernatural entities everywhere from 1952 Miami to 2019 Lagos to a distant alien planet 500,000 years in the future. In Barbie, he lived his best beachside life as a Ken in Barbieland. And in Sex Education, he spent his days in the scariest land of all, a high school.

Now you can catch him in a couple of conventional locales: the Bay Area, as a cheeky waiter in the Benedict Cumberbatch- and Olivia Colman-led dramedy The Roses, and London, where he’s playing Christopher Marlowe to Edward Bluemel’s William Shakespeare in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of the play Born With Teeth.

Outside of his work, Gatwa enjoys traveling (to places that actually exist) and keeping up with his routines as he does it. Gatwa spoke with Thrillist associate editor Annie Harrigan about his tendency to overpack, the travel essential he’s gatekeeping, and the self-ascribed “lame” thing he does in every place he visits.

Thrillist: What is your favorite travel memory?

Ncuti Gatwa: My favorite travel memory is being in Rio de Janeiro with my two best friends. I took them on holiday a couple of years ago. Copacabana Beach was right outside our hotel, and just running into the sea every day for 12 days with them is my favorite travel memory.

What is one thing you do in every place that you travel to?

One thing I do in every place that I travel to — oh my God, I’m such a loser — is Google where the nearest gym is. Then I Google if I can find protein powder somewhere. I’m like, “Where can I get protein powder if I’ve not packed it in my bag?” How lame.

Do you pack light or overpack?

Ooh, depends… No, I’m a heavy packer. Definitely a heavy packer. I can’t even believe I was going to think about that. I was trying to justify the opposite, but, no, I definitely overpack. You just never know what you’re going to come up against. You never know what you’re going to need. I need a couple of outfit options for each night because I just don’t know what vibe I’m going to want to be in and you can’t plan that far in advance.

What are three things you keep in your carry-on to help you get through a flight?

Toothbrush, toothpaste, perfume. For my signature fragrance, I’ve got to admit, I am a gatekeeper. I’m a big gatekeeper, but I will say the brand’s name is Mizensir by a man named Alberto Morillas.

What are some of your other self-care travel essentials?

I have to have body lotions, coconut oils, and my skincare. Definitely face masks. I need to take a pair of my own slippers. I don’t know why, I just need to take a pair of my own. I’m taking my sapo, my African body sponge net — I can’t wash with my hands or a floof. I need to get there and exfoliate.

What is your airplane wardrobe?

Just sweats, socks, shoes. I’m not a big fan of traveling through the airport in my slippers, so it’s always shoes. I have a big furry hoodie from Ralph, and that’s my travel essential. It just feels like you have become Paddington the Bear or he’s hugging you.

Are you someone who brings a book with you on vacation?

About three.

What’s the last one you read on a trip?

Well, currently I’m reading a book called The Reckoning, which is about Christopher Marlowe’s life and death as I’m about to play him this summer in the West End. The last book I finished was The Courage to Be Disliked. I can’t remember the authors’ names, but it’s translated from Japanese and it’s just really cool. It’s based on Adlerian psychology, and it’s just a great psychology book that encourages one to be themselves. I love that book.

What’s your favorite way to pass time on a plane?

Sleep, read, or watch films? I always take books for the plane and I end up just sleeping all the way through. I’ll get on and I’ll check all the films first and I’ll be like, “OK, I’ll watch this, this, and this. And I’ve got my books here…” Then for the whole 14 hours or eight hours or however long it is, I’m asleep. And I’m like, “Don’t wake me either. No, don’t wake me. Please don’t pat me on the shoulder for a scone.”

How do you deal with jet lag?

I am not good at jet lag. But the thing is, I’m constantly on a project and so there’s sort of no time to be jet lagged. The schedule of the next place that I’m in bashes it out of me in a week. You just have to adjust to it. But also sleeping all the way through planes helps sometimes. Sometimes I’ve missed all the time zones and I’m like, “Ah, I landed. I’m so refreshed.” But I’ve heard that kiwis are really good. I try to get some kiwis in.

Do you get recognized when you travel? How do you handle those situations?

Yeah, I get recognized and it’s nice. It’s always a nice interaction with someone. Especially with the airplane staff, I’m like, “I’m going to be extra nice to you. I’ll take a picture with you. Please just take care of me.” I always try to have a bit of a chat and a hug with people, and then it makes it feel less like I’m being idolized or something.

What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever tried to take through airport security?

It always surprises me when my huge USN protein powder makes it through the scanners. This could just be a big bowl of another sort of powder. I’m always like, “Are you sure?” And they’re just like, “Yeah, cool.” And then I’ll get stopped for, like, the lining in my trousers and they need to scan me down.

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