Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha-Raw is an English actress, known for her roles as Kelly in ‘Black Mirror’, Dido Elizabeth Belle in ‘Belle’, Noni Jean in ‘Beyond the Lights’, Plumette in the live-action adaptation of Disney's ‘Beauty and the Beast’, and Hannah Shoenfeld in ‘The Morning Show’ on Apple TV+.
The 36-year-old actress portrays Jennifer Hosten in an upcoming film ‘Misbehaviour’, which tells the story of how the women's liberation movement stormed the 1970 Miss World ceremony and revealed that she went to visit the former beauty queen in Grenada last year.
Opening the 1970 Miss World contest, the presenter Bob Hope was in a particularly ebullient mood. His enjoyment was short-lived; moments later, the clatter of a football rattle resounded around the Royal Albert Hall, and the stage was invaded by outraged women protestors, hurling flour and stink bombs. They forced the obnoxious Hope to flee from the set and disrupted the BBC's broadcast in what has come to be seen as a watershed moment for feminism. "I watched the whole ceremony and it’s shocking, particularly the bit where the women all have to turn around to show their bottoms..." says Gugu Mbatha-Raw, over lunch at a smart Marylebone restaurant. "It definitely makes you realize quite how far we’ve come."
For her research into the film, Gugu visited Grenada to talk to Hosten. "She’s in her seventies now, and she’s got such a regal presence, such posture, these bright, bright eyes – she’s very demure, quite proper but very centered”, said Gugu. She learnt about Jennifer and how she has to play the character. She felt supported as Jennifer helped her through in understanding each and every area. Gugu further said that, “Jennifer has spent most of her life proving that she's more than just a pretty face. She showed me where she grew up. Just being able to speak to her helped give me an understanding of the times. It was amazing to meet her and find out about a moment in her life all that time ago that really informed all her opportunities and choices. She felt like she was an ambassador for her country, and she was breaking boundaries in her own way.”
Jennifer, as Miss Grenada, made history as the first black woman to win the famous competition and Gugu has previously discussed how being biracial (her father is a black South African, while her mother is a white British nurse) helps her to "bring people together". Jennifer said that, "Being biracial is an interesting perspective, because you can see every side of that conversation. I definitely relate to the idea of bringing people together. My first trip to South Africa [in December 2013] to see my family there, they jokingly called me The Unifier; that's what they called Nelson Mandela at one point."
Distractingly beautiful herself, and appearing far younger than her 36 years, Gugu has an unselfconscious freshness that could not be further from a beauty queen’s manicured perfection. Gugu is one of those rare people to whom it is easy to warm immediately. Perhaps this attribute is why she doesn't always shy away from less sympathetic roles; on the contrary, she appears to revel in them. "You can't always be the goodie everyone's rooting for," she quotes.
'Misbehavior' is dominated by females. It is helmed by Philippa Lowthorpe while Keira Knightley, Jessie Buckley, Keeley Hawes, Lesley Manville and Phyllis Logan all feature in the cast. Gugu claims that the film will show the story from a "female perspective". "It's Miss World! So, it's inherently fun. But it's done in a way that explores the female perspective. It helps that the audience view Misbehaviour 100 per cent through the female gaze”, Gugu said.
The film is also penned by females in the form of Rebecca Grayn and Gaby Chiappe and the movie is produced by Suzanne Mackie and Sarah Wheale. The movie will get released in this month only, dated 13th March 2020.