“It’s definitely been an emotional thing for me because I feel like it’s something I’ve been waiting to be able to do with her over the past two seasons. There are still funny bits in there, but this is a completely new thing for this character so I’ve really enjoyed it.”
See Mimi Keene and you likely think of the character she’s been playing for the past three years: Ruby Matthews, the de facto head of the Untouchables in Netflix’s global hit show Sex Education. Deadpan, impeccably dressed – and in Otis’ words “terrifying” – she’s the ultimate high school mean girl. In the first two seasons, we only briefly glimpse past Ruby’s perfectly constructed façade. For example, when she mentioned that her dad was suffering with MS, before hurriedly changing the subject back to her eyebrows. She is Sex Education’s one main character that we really know nothing about, and yet Mimi has managed to make her character so intriguing. Constantly hinting that there is more beneath her perfectly polished surface, the show’s dedicated viewers have long been desperate to know more. Season 3, released on Netflix today, will satisfy that demand. We’ll finally see Ruby take the spotlight under which she can no longer hide her vulnerabilities, inner-world, and less-than-perfect home life.
Covering our Autumn 2021 issue, Keene discusses Ruby’s new trajectory in Sex Education, why she thinks her character is relatable to anyone with an Instagram account, and the value in keeping things private.