Who Plays Cal In Sex Education Season 3

Here’s who plays new character Cal Bowman in Sex Education season 3, and where you may know them from. Sex Education returned for season 3 on Netflix on September 17, 2021. The new year at Moordale brings with it some of the biggest changes to the show so far, which includes new uniforms, new school rules, new relationships, and, of course, new faces walking the halls.

There are a lot of key newcomers in Sex Education season 3, but the two most notable are Hope Haddon and Cal Bowman, whose arrivals at the school leads to them butting heads and helping to encapsulate the different viewpoints that leads to much conflict across the eight episodes. Both characters represent a sense of change for Moordale and for other students, most notably Jackson (Kedar Williams-Stirling), albeit one is much more positive than the other.

In Sex Education, Hope is played by Jemima Kirke, who is best known for her role as Jessa in HBO’s Girls. Meanwhile, Cal is played by Dua Saleh, in what’s their biggest acting role yet. Cal is one of two non-binary students at Moordale in season 3 (the other is Layla, played by Robyn Holdaway), who helps to shine a light on issues around gender, but is effectively punished by Hope simply for who they are, being forced into gendered lines and the female changing room. Saleh is also non-binary, and they’re best known for their music career, which includes the EPs Nūr (2019) and Rosetta (2020).

A Sudanese-American based in Minneapolis, Minnesota (which is where Cal comes from as well) after leaving Sudan when they were a young child, Saleh’s music spans rap, R&B, pop, and more, and has been critically acclaimed, while they’ve also written poetry most of their life. In terms of acting, though, Sex Education is very much their breakthrough role; while Saleh has appeared in theater productions in Minneapolis, the Netflix show represents their biggest performance to date, which might come as something of a surprise to those watching.

Like much of Sex Education‘s cast, Saleh gives a performance that feels incredibly natural and authentic. Cal is funny, smart, and opens the eyes of Jackson – and perhaps some viewers – to what it means to be non-binary and queer, and it’s Saleh’s role that is such a key part (alongside the writing) in how it handles the storyline with the right amount of sensitivity and humor that makes it both compelling and touching.

Speaking to Gay Times, Saleh discussed elements of Cal’s character they identity with – someone who is uprooted from their home, with strong political views, who cares deeply “about liberty, freedom and people being able to express themselves in the right way, or in the way that’s best for them.” It’s a big step forward for their career, and hopefully for non-binary and transgender representation and inclusivity (Netflix also had non-binary consultants and intimacy consultants who worked with them on-set). Saleh will follow-up Sex Education season 3 with another EP, Crossover, which was in part inspired by filming the show – the song “Signs” was written while they were in Wales for the series – but acting should very much remain part of their future.

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