Gugu Mbatha-Raw (INTERVIEW)
Gugu Mbatha-Raw
The “Belle” Interview
with Kam Williams
Gaga over Gugu!
Born
in Oxford, England
on June 30, 1983, Gugu Mbatha-Raw trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
in London. Her
first professional role was as Celia in an open air production of Shakespeare’s
As You Like It. Gugu
subsequently landed roles at Manchester’s Royal
Exchange Theatre where she performed the title roles of Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, the latter opposite
Andrew “Spider-Man” Garfield.
Her
other stage credits include the critically-acclaimed Big White Fog at the Almeida Theatre and David Hare’s Gethsemane, a production at the
National Theatre that later toured the UK. Gugu made her West
End debut as Ophelia in Hamlet
opposite Jude Law, which was brought across the pond to Broadway in 2009 where
it became a big hit at the Broadhurst
Theatre.
Her
television credits include “MI-5,” “Dr. Who,” “Spooks,” “Marple: Ordeal by
Innocence,” “Bonekickers” and “Fallout.” In 2008, she was selected as a
‘Star of Tomorrow’ by the showbiz industry magazine Screen International. A
couple of years later, Gugu starred as Samantha Bloom in the NBC-TV series,
“Undercovers,” for which she was nominated for an NAACP award for in the Best
Actress in a Television Series category.
On
the big screen, she found her first major feature film work in Larry Crowne,
directed by Tom Hanks and co-starring Julia Roberts, followed by Odd Thomas
alongside Willem Dafoe. She also recently finished filming Jupiter Ascending
with Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis.
Here,
Gugu, who divides her time between L.A. and London, talks about playing the title character in Belle,
a biopic about Dido Elizabeth Belle
(1761-1804), the orphaned offspring of an African slave and a British ship
captain who was raised in England
by her father’s rich relations.
Kam
Williams: Hi Gugu, thanks for the interview. I’m
honored to have this opportunity.
Gugu
Mbatha-Raw: Thank you, Kam.
KW:
I loved the film. Have you read my review yet?
GMR:
No, I haven’t seen it. I always get a little bit scared
reading reviews, but I’m sure I’ll read it at some point. [Laughs]
KW:
I have a lot of questions for you for you from fans. Children’s book author
Irene Smalls asks: What interested you in the film and how did you feel about the
idea of playing Dido Belle?
GMR:
There were so many wonderful things that drew me to this project.
First and foremost, the historical elements, the fact that this character
really existed and that the script was inspired by a real painting. That was
fascinating to me because, as a biracial girl growing up in England, I’d never
really seen any historical characters who looked like me depicted on film
before that weren’t being brutalized or playing slaves. It was refreshing to
know that there had been a biracial girl in the aristocracy. I felt that that
was a perspective on history that had been so much overlooked, and a story that
needed to be told. I was also drawn in by the romance, the beautiful love story
at the core of the drama, having grown up with Jane Austen’s classics like
“Pride and Prejudice” and “Sense and Sensibility.” I just thought that would be
a fascinating period to explore. And besides being a period drama, we have so
many contemporary themes in this film, such as race and class and gender and
identity which, as is shown in the news nowadays, are still issues we’re struggling
with daily. So, I felt that Belle had a wonderful number of layers that made it
a fascinating project.
KW:
Environmental activist Grace Sinden asks: Is the prejudice we see in Belle at all relatable in
today’s more enlightened times?
GMR:
Yeah, I think Belle is incredibly
relatable, not only insofar as the issue of race, which is probably, on the
surface, the most obvious one, but also in terms of the ambiguity and nuances
of racism. After all, Belle’s position was ambiguous. She was the daughter of a
slave, but her father was in the aristocracy. I think that affords us the
opportunity to explore those gray areas, the little slip-ups and subtle
comments that are made in society. To me, that’s very contemporary, as is the
issue of identity. I think, irrespective of your race, everybody has moments in
life where they don’t fit in, or where they try to puzzle through who they
really are or to find the courage of their convictions. I think this story
really is about finding the courage to be your true self. And I think that is
an eternal, universal theme, and a very inspiring one. So, yes, Grace, there’s
a lot of contemporary stuff in the film, despite its being set in the 18th
Century.
KW:
Grace has a follow-up:
What research did you do in preparation for this role? Did you study 18th Century history to become more
familiar with the culture of the period in which Belle is set, or did the
screenplay supply sufficient background information?
GMR:
For me, the script was definitely the starting point, because,
although it was inspired by a true story and historical fact, the way I often
connect with a character is on a human emotional level, and this script had
those subtleties and nuances to it. Because I had grown up with Jane Austen
novels and period dramas, I was very familiar with that period and that world
already. On a personal level, I took some piano lessons and I listened to music
of the period, like Handel, which helped me appreciate the elegance and
sumptuousness of that style. And the cast also took some etiquette classes with
Amma [director Amma Asante] to help us understand the bows, the curtseys and
the manners of the time, which was really fascinating. I also spoke with Amma
about Dido’s trajectory, her growing from this naïve, quiet and quite accepting
girl into a strong woman with political and romantic awakenings. For me,
working with Amma was very rewarding, because she had done a tremendous amount
of research. There were a lot of documents which she had sourced which provided
context for the story. So, like I said, the script was the starting point, and
we leapt off from there into the characters’ relationships.
KW:
What message do you think people will take away from Belle?
GMR:
I really hope people will be inspired by the history of it,
and the fact that it’s a true story. The message, for me, at its core, really,
is “Be who you are!” Don’t worry about society’s conditioning and the labels
that are put on you by external forces. Hold onto your true self. The journey
that Dido goes on is about learning to be comfortable in her own skin. I think
that’s an inspiring message that we always need to be reminded of in today’s
image-obsessed world.
KW:
Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: Given your being biracial, was
this an especially emotionally-demanding
role?
GMR:
Well, it’s an emotional story and I try to put myself into
whatever character I play. Obviously, this film is about race and identity, and
I am biracial everyday. [Laughs] Yes, Harriet, it was fun to explore those
themes, especially the identity theme which is very contemporary. And yeah, it
was an emotional experience, because it’s essentially an emotional journey that
Dido goes on, from her moments of self-harming, despair and frustration. And
that starting point really gave us somewhere to go in terms of her becoming
comfortable in her own skin and developing the confidence to stand up for
herself. So, yes, it was a very, very emotional experience. But that’s what I
respond to in any role, the human condition and the human connection.
KW:
Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier asks: Did you feel any
pressure to do justice to Belle?
GMR:
Absolutely! Because I had never played a real person before
and since this was an incredibly refreshing tale to me. Even though there
wasn’t much evidence about Dido, factually, I felt this was a terrific
opportunity to shed light on a period of history that has somewhat been
overlooked and certainly has never been seen from this perspective before. A
woman of color… in the lead… of a period drama… [Laughs] And she’s not a slave…
she’s not being brutalized… She’s being brought up as an heiress in a genteel
society, at least one that’s seemingly genteel on the surface. To me, that that
was just such an inspiring new perspective. And because it was based on
historical fact, I did feel a responsibility to make Dido as much of a living,
breathing human being as possible, first and foremost.
KW:
Lisa Loving asks: Do
you see Belle as part of an emerging trend of historical films revisiting the
Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade from a fresh perspective?
GMR:
I hope so. I think that what makes Belle unique and
different from recent films about the slave experience in the United States
is that this one is about the British perspective. And not just the British
perspective, but also a female perspective. I think there are so many more
stories to be told surrounding this period of history and the legacy of the
slave trade. It feels wonderful to be a part of a canon of films exploring this
issue. I only hope that it opens the doorway for more stories to be told like
this, so that we can celebrate our heritage and history.
KW:
Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks: Do you recall your initial reaction years ago when you first
saw the postcard of the painting which inspired the script?
GMR:
Yes! When I saw the postcard, I was intrigued by Dido,
because she had such a light in her eyes, and such a mischievous, almost
vivacious gaze. My reaction was, “Wow! This girl really looks like she’s got a
personality,” unlike other persons of color in period portraits who were
usually depicted in those days as an ornament or to signify the status of their
white counterpart. They’d be positioned almost like a pet in the painting. By
contrast, Dido seemed to have so much life about her. That was what attracted
me to her as a person to play. But it was only after shooting the film that
myself and Sarah Gadon, who plays [Dido’s cousin] Elizabeth [the other subject
of the portrait] got to see the real painting in the flesh which was a magical
experience after having spent all that time staring at the postcard and
inhabiting the character. So, to see the actual painting was very special.
KW:
Bernadette also asks: How
do you define yourself as a performer, given that you’ve done stage, TV, film, and
even radio?
GMR:
Well, I try not to limit myself. The actors that inspire me
are the comedians and the people able to shape-shift into different roles and
into different media. That ensures your longevity as an artist and prevents you
from getting bored with yourself and, hopefully, prevents people from getting
bored with you. [LOL] So, for me, it’s about variety and working with
inspiring, creative people. I try not to define myself. Other people are going
to do that for you anyway. [Laughs some more] I like being free to take on any
project that inspires me and to trust that the work will speak for itself.
KW:
Lastly, Bernadette would like to know whether you ever worked
with a female director before Amma Asante.
GMR:
Amma Asante
is a unique person in several regards, independent of being male or female. I
think I might have worked with a couple of female directors in television, but
never before with one on film. Amma is incredibly talented, incredibly
articulate, and had such a crystal clear vision from the outset of this world
we were creating. She was very inspiring! She has a lot of heart, and was very
detailed in her directions and notes. I loved working with her and, being a
woman, she obviously put a lot of herself into this interpretation. And Belle
not only had a female director, but a female scriptwriter and even a female
composer. I believe having a female point-of-view was wonderful for such a
female-centric story being told in a voice that hadn’t been heard before. So, I
am hopeful that this will open the door for more female-driven films.
KW:
Larry Greenberg asks: What
kind of direction did Amma Asante give you about Dido Belle's relationship with
Lady Elizabeth Murray?
GMR:
This is something that Amma was very passionate about. Even
though they were only cousins biologically, they were nevertheless very much a
sisterhood. I know that Amma herself has a sister she’s very close to, and the
intensity of sisterhood was something she very much wanted to explore in the
film, not only because the starting point was the painting where they are
depicted in such an intimate way with a feeling of affection, but also because
of a desire to create a Jane Austen “Sense and Sensibility” dynamic in exploring
the depth of that bond. Consider the scene where they have a fierce argument
and are saying the most horrible things to each other. I think you can only
really explore in that fashion with intimate family. So, yes, Amma was
constantly nurturing us to create a sisterhood bond, and Sarah Gadon is such a
fun and lovely actress to work with that it was pretty easy to achieve. And we’re
the best of friends now.
KW:
Sweet! I’m glad I mentioned Jane Austen in my review. I must have picked up on
what Amma was going for.
GMR:
Absolutely! That world of Jane Austen was definitely an
inspiration to Amma and to myself as well.
KW:
Thanks again for the time, Gugu, and best of luck with Belle.
GMR:
Thank you very much, Kam. Bye!
To see a trailer for
Belle, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTz5VjBscGk
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