Speed Date: 'Belle' Breakout Gugu Mbatha-Raw Fancies Nina Simone and 'The Neverending Story'
Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Belle (Fox Searchlight)
Just one quick glance at the poster for the new film Belle tells viewers they’re looking at uncharted territory for Hollywood. It’s the vision of a strikingly beautiful black woman in full aristocratic garb, looking as though she’s posing in front of a Merchant Ivory set.
That woman is Gugu Mbatha-Raw (pronounced Goo Goo mBAH-tah Raw), who headlines the Fox Searchlight release, which follows quickly on the heels of the studio’s Oscar-winning drama 12 Years a Slave.
And the significance of the film’s uniqueness is not lost on its 31-year-old star.
"We’ve seen the Jane Austen adaptations, we’ve seen Pride and Prejudice, we’ve seen Sense and Sensibility, and I love those films and I love those books," said Mbatha-Raw, who plays the titular mixed-race woman (her mother a slave, her father a Royal Navy admiral) as she struggles with societal norms and contradictions in 18th century England. "But what was so refreshing about this is that it's a woman of color at the center, and it’s a female-driven piece."
You may recognize the dramatically trained Brit from a supporting role in the Tom Hanks-Julia Roberts affair Larry Crowne, but it’s Belle that should bring Mbatha-Raw new social standing in Hollywood.
We got to know her a bit at the film’s New York junket:
Where did you grow up?
Witney in Oxfordshire (England).
Did you have a nickname as a child?
My mom calls me Twinx, short for twinkletoes, from when I did ballet. And friends call me Gugs ("googs").
What table did you sit at in the cafeteria?
Oh god, does that mean something in America?
Yeah, like what clique were you in?
Oh, I wasn’t cool. The arty table. Or I was probably sitting on the grass outside (laughs).
[Related: Speed Date: Caity Lotz Doesn’t Want a Stupid Barbie Doll]
When did you first realize you wanted to become an actor?
Probably when I was 11.
What was the first movie you ever saw?
Ever ever? The Neverending Story, probably.
Do you have any pets?
No.
What rock star (or musician) in history would you most like to party with?
Probably Nina Simone. She’s not really a rock star, but she is to me.
What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
I once gave out lime-flavored Coke at Waterloo Station for a day.
Are you veggie/vegan/gluten-free/paleo/organic or do you practice any other such diet?
Semi-organic, occasionally.
What’s your sign?
Taurus.
Are you a typical example of that sign?
I’m on the cusp. I’m on the 21st of April. I don’t know if I’m a typical Taurus. I think we’re quite earthy. I’d say I’m earthy.
[Related: Meet Belle, One of Britain’s Earliest Known Biracial Aristocrats]
What do you never leave home without?
This is boring, but a bottle of water. That's so dull!
Do you watch sports?
No.
What’s the longest relationship you’ve been in?
Four-and-a-half years.
Do you ever search for yourself on the Internet?
I have, but I've given it up.
What is the best thing about being an actor?
Getting to work with really fun people, and getting to travel, and getting to tell inspired stories.
What is the worst thing about being an actor?
Living out of a suitcase, although that’s kind of part of it, I guess. The nomadic life, not so terrible.
And finally, whose career would you kill for?
Meryl Streep’s.
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