I’ve updated the gallery with photos of Gugu attending the Edward Enninful OBE & Friends Celebrate “A Visible Man” At Claridge’s.
Photos: SOHO House Awards 2022
Feature: Gugu Mbatha-Raw for Elle!
When Gugu Mbatha-Raw first received the script for Surface, she was in Atlanta, filming the first season of Loki—about to become an enormous hit for the still-building Disney+ platform. It was the late summer of 2020, and she was content, if not exactly challenged, in the iron-pressed shirt collar and necktie of Ravonna Renslayer. She ached for an opportunity to stretch stiff muscles, especially as the pandemic continued the squeeze the television industry.
“I had a great experience on Loki,” she tells me when we meet for lunch in Midtown Manhattan this July. “But I think the Marvel world is a particular genre. So it was very refreshing to me to read Surface at the time, because it was so different to what I was working on.”
She already had a connection to the production company behind Surface: Hello Sunshine, co-founded by Mbatha-Raw’s The Morning Show cast-mate Reese Witherspoon. From Atlanta, she Zoomed with Surface showrunner Veronica West, with Witherspoon herself, and with Hello Sunshine President of Film & TV Lauren Neustadter. Together, they took the pitch to Apple, “and they pretty much bought it right away,” Mbatha-Raw says.
By Thanksgiving of 2020, a writers’ room was at work, and by June 2021, Mbatha-Raw was on set in Vancouver, in the lead role of Sophie, an amnesiac struggling to make sense of her life and relationships after a presumed suicide attempt leaves her without memories. As an executive producer as well as actress for Surface, she’d had a heavy hand in everything from Sophie’s musical tastes to who would play her co-stars, including Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Sophie’s husband, James, and Ari Graynor as her friend Caroline. As such, Mbatha-Raw’s tastes are felt throughout the series; her, as she puts it, “British sensibility” adds gloss and dimension to what might otherwise feel—if you’ll forgive me—a mere surface-level investigation of monied myth-making.
As the series speeds toward its finale, critics have widely deemed Mbatha-Raw as the standout in an otherwise mixed reception. Her face—Sophie’s face—contorts as she learns new details about her past lives, but even more so as she learns how to harness those details. Surface’s protagonist is not innocent, neither before nor after her accident, and the thrill of connecting those two threads is most evident in Mbatha-Raw’s performance, as she spins the wheels of reinvention behind Sophie’s tony exterior.
In a wide-ranging conversation ahead of the Surface premiere, I learned how Mbatha-Raw poured both her practical and artistic skills into Surface, what she hopes for the future of the series, and how her time on Loki has informed her future creative endeavors. [More at Source]
Feature: Gugu Mbatha-Raw for Flaunt
The narrative conceit of a character that awakens from a supposed suicide attempt with no memory or sense of their former identity is a fairly delectable proposition for any actor and one that is evidently particularly well suited to Gugu Mbatha-Raw. The actor’s propensity for subtly nerve-shredded existential angst is amply showcased in Surface—the current Apple TV+ show predicated upon precisely the aforementioned proposition.
The increasingly celebrated thespian in Mbatha-Raw is properly in her element in the slow-burning psychological thriller. Surface spins upon the central axis of a woman named Sophie (played by Mbatha-Raw) whose seemingly high-end affluent life in San Francisco turns out to be a scattered jigsaw puzzle of deceit, debt, love triangles, and, perhaps even, murder most foul. It’s hardly surprising, then, that the Oxfordshire-born actor, who first came to the attention of the world for her sterling performance in the game-changing costume drama Belle, and was most recently on our screens as a sinister time-policing bureaucrat in the surreal Disney+ Marvel spin-off, Loki, jumped at the chance to play such an enticing role. “Surface came to me through the Hello Sunshine company, who I worked with on The Morning Show, and I knew if they were doing it, that it would be quality because an ethos of centering strong female roles in the narrative is in their DNA,” says Mbatha-Raw, with infectious enthusiasm down a crackling phone line from Belfast, Ireland, where she is currently holed-up on-set of new project, Lift.
“When I read Veronica West’s pilot script [for Surface], it just really drew me in as a mystery. I thought it was so compelling because it placed you right inside my character’s head—a woman who it seems has a perfect life, before the cracks begin to show,” continues the actor of British and South African parentage, whose eye for a good character is inarguably keen, given she has been awarded an MBE for services to drama. “There is this kind of noir element to the story, and I got drawn into the mystery of this love triangle, but also by the fact that I hadn’t really ever seen a woman in a memory story, you know? We have all seen things like The Bourne Identity, and thrillers that have a man at the center of finding out who they are, or what they have done—but I just thought that this being about a woman was intriguing.”
It’s a salient point that memory loss is a pretty well-trodden trope in the history of cinema, having deep roots in the likes of the classic Hitchcock thriller Spellbound and the truly excellent Memento from Christopher Nolan, but it’s fair to say that it is sadly more than a little unusual for the key protagonist to be female (the incomparable Mulholland Drive being the most obvious exception), and, perhaps just as pertinently, it is not a narrative we have seen packaged into the zeitgeist mold of the mini-series before. “There is something about being able to go into an intimate character-driven story like this that you can’t necessarily get on the big screen, because you get to spend eight hours with all these characters and go to deep psychological depths,” says Mbatha-Raw, when I ask her if she has any concerns about the ubiquitous streaming format in general, given that, well, at least in the opinion of this writer, a good deal of shows can sometimes seem just a little too long, and oftentimes unwieldy. “I think there is a comfort in returning episode after episode to a character, and in getting to really explore the nuances of the story,” she continues. “Also, this is just six episodes, so it feels like a tight package. Hopefully, as a viewer, you are on the edge of your seat, and trying to work out the mystery, but there are also some very interesting questions of trust being raised on the way—you can’t always rely on your senses to give you an accurate picture of the outside world, and thereby your inner world.” [More at Source]
Video: Gugu on LIVE with Kelly and Ryan
Feature: Gugu Mbatha-Raw for The Laterals
‘I wish I could take the credit for the emotion-provoking performances, but to be honest, that’s what draws me to them in the writing and the storytelling. If a project or a script can enthrall me in any way – if it makes me laugh, gives me goosebumps or moves me to tears – then I’m gripped, and I know that it’s going to be worth doing it,’ humbly smiles Gugu Mbatha-Raw, when we meet again, this time virtually on a Zoom call. It’s the beginning of June with hot weather unabashedly filling the streets of North London, with the wi-fi connection having a literal meltdown and cutting off, which from time to time interrupts our light-hearted conversation.
She joins the line from a hotel room in Belfast, having returned from Italy, where she was shooting the anticipated Netflix heist action movie Lift, sharing the screen with comedian Kevin Hart. ‘We just got three weeks left to finish the movie. I’m not going to lie that it’s a bit of back to planet earth here, in Belfast. It was wonderful to be in Italy with the weather, food, and culture and bring that with us to the final three weeks in our imaginations,’ wholeheartedly says the actress.
Gugu’s breakthrough came with the British period drama Belle back in 2013, for which she won the BIFA Award for Best Actress. As a versatile performer, carrying so much gravitas in all her projects, no surprise that numerous roles have followed throughout her successful career on both TV (Black Mirror, The Morning Show, Loki, The Girl Before) and the silver screens (Beyond the Lights, Miss Sloane, Beauty and the Beast, Irreplaceable You, Motherless Brooklyn, Misbehavior, Summerland). Now she’s leading the charge on the highly anticipated eight-episode Apple TV+ thriller Surface, which marks her second time working with the streamer, and Reese Witherspoon’s production company Hello Sunshine. Set in San Francisco, Surface follows Gugu’s character Sophie, a woman who has suffered a traumatic head injury which resulted in a memory loss, believed to be a result of a suicide attempt.
Contrary to her character, Gugu is as open-hearted and joyous as the first time I met her back in May. A travel-worthy Watford Heath, where the cover shoot took place, was also graced by a visit from the likes of Erdem, CHANEL, Bottega Veneta, Louis Vuitton and Roksanda in a wardrobe of dreams. Cups of tea were flowing on set, and classics such as I Wanna Dance with Somebody were blasting through the speakers, with our cover story star embracing different alter egos in front of the camera as the force of nature that she is.
It’s not usually the way I start any conversation, but it’s great to meet a person whose powerful performances made me cry more than once.
Ooh!
I’m saying this as a compliment. Irreplaceable You – I was sobbing, Black Mirror’s San Junipero – you’re right, weeping again. And The Morning Show – where do I even start here? I think you have a superpower if you can make a lasting impact on the audience’s emotions, whether that’d be tears, laughter or even a tingling sense of anxiety.
Those projects that you’ve mentioned that’s just not me. I chose them because they’ve moved me. I remember reading Irreplaceable You and crying on my iPad. I thought I was going to break it. I literally had to stop as I was tearing up. The same happened with San Junipero, and I remember that I got chills when I was first pitched The Morning Show. I wish I could take the credit for the emotion-provoking performances, but to be honest, that’s what draws me to them in the writing and the storytelling. If a project or a script can enthrall me in any way – if it makes me laugh, gives me goosebumps or moves me to tears – then I’m gripped, and I know that it’s going to be worth doing it.
Do you often become easily attached to characters and the script whilst reading it, or does the sense of attachment come in time?
I mean if it’s good… (laughing) If it’s good, the feeling is pretty instant. There’s something there. And it’s usually pretty obvious. It’s like the soul of the piece. And if the soul isn’t there, you can do rewrites and use costumes, accents, and fancy camera angles, but it’s not going to give it its essential heartbeat. Ninety percent of the things aren’t that good. The reality is that the good stuff stands out. [More at Source]
Feature: Gugu Mbatha-Raw for Document
On paper, the plot of Surface carries a level of drama that reaches soap opera standards: an attempted suicide that might have actually been attempted murder, a steamy affair, shifting allegiances, and a memory loss-induced identity crisis. But reviews of the series have been largely choral, agreeing that its pacing feels slow, not indulging in the hyper-saturation in plot typical of such series. Its star, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, cites its intrigue as more mysterious than splashy. “There is an introspection and a nuance to the world, because it’s complex and detailed,” she explains. “That doesn’t mean it’s gentle.” While labeled a psychological thriller, the show’s depth derives more from its exploration of identity and its potential to change than from a dense dexterity in plot.
Mbatha-Raw’s character, Sophie, is introduced after a traumatic head injury. She doesn’t remember the incident, or really anything else. The Apple TV+ series tracks the unfolding of Sophie’s past as she tries to make sense of conflicting stories from the people closest to her. For Surface’s protagonist, who has little context or understanding of the person she was, self-discovery carries entirely new meaning. In elevated and modernized form, the show addresses a long-contemplated question: Are our personalities innate, or do we have control over who we are and who we are capable of becoming?
Following the show’s premiere, Mbatha-Raw joins Document to discuss the nuances of her character, the evolution of mystery, and a mass grappling with identity.
Megan Hullander: How do you build a character who doesn’t even know herself?
Gugu Mbatha-Raw: I mean, that’s the challenge. Obviously, we get to know a lot more about Sophie’s past and who she actually is [throughout the series]. But in terms of actually playing her, it was a nice opportunity to embrace the more sensory elements, like the idea of muscle memory. Even if you don’t know a lot of the details of your life, taste and smell and sight take you back to a more childlike energy. Those things are that much more visceral. So that was kind of something that I used to make it feel very sensory. Being able to rebuild from a blank slate is always fun, because it really gives you a strong arc.
Megan: Looking at the whole of your career, there’s a lot of versatility in the characters that you’ve taken on. What parts of yourself, if any, did you allow to come through with this character?
Gugu: I’ve got a variety of projects now that I’ve done—certainly in terms of the genres and styles—but you might see some common threads. That’s the fun of acting, really—it’s not really about you. It’s about getting out of the way. But I think, without meaning to, you bring a great deal of yourself to every role, good and bad. [More at Source]
Coverage: Gugu Mbatha-Raw on This Morning
Gugu is back in the UK to promote “Surface” and made an appearance on This Morning. Check out the video below and head to the gallery for the photos.
Feature: Gugu Mbatha-Raw for Soho House Magazine
You probably recognise Gugu Mbatha-Raw from one of her many high-profile stage and screen roles – she’s played everyone from Juliet to Andrew Garfield’s Romeo to Ophelia with Jude Law in Hamlet, not to mention The Morning Show and Loki (merely Disney+’s most-watched Marvel series ever). But away from her impressive acting career, Mbatha-Raw has been toiling away in a new, somewhat more personal role – as an aspiring artist.
Art – specifically, painting – is a long-standing passion of hers and she’s really very good at it. During lockdown, the star became something of a viral sensation for her portraits of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, which she auctioned off, donating proceeds to social justice charities. She’s since shared further works of Chadwick Boseman, Desmond Tutu and Kevin Hart – her co-star in her newest movie, Lift – to her Instagram page. The paintings are genuinely brilliant (Hart’s is especially impressive when you learn that she had Covid while painting it).
‘That was one of the first paintings I’ve given as a gift,’ she admits, of the portrait she presented to Hart on their last day of filming. ‘The film [Lift] is all about an art heist, so we visited The National Gallery with the director. I studied art at school and Kevin developed his interest over the course of the movie – and he’s in a place where he can buy some serious paintings, you know? So, I said, “Well this could be one to add to the collection – hopefully it will increase in value over the years”,’ she laughs.
We’re meeting Mbatha-Raw for a shoot at our new Soho.Home.Studio in Westbourne Grove, London. Just a stone’s throw from Electric House, the new interior design space showcases Soho Home collections inspired by the cities Soho House is located in (think handcrafted furniture alongside textiles, lighting and tableware). Situated over two floors, it features a dedicated interior design service, as well as limited-edition artwork from Soho Home’s ongoing collaborations. The timing of her visit is somewhat fortuitous, since Mbatha-Raw has recently swapped her Stateside abode for one back in good old Blighty and is currently on the hunt for interiors inspiration.
‘The mirrors are really fun and I love the small, swivelling armchairs – they have a very 1950s yet modern vibe,’ she enthuses, zeroing in on the Garrett chair, while taking snaps on her phone of every item that takes her fancy. She’s particularly drawn to the rotating artwork in store, which is created in collaboration with M.A.H Gallery. ‘I’m really attracted to the idea of having a relatively neutral canvas and depending on your mood or the season, changing the tone of the space through art. Home is somewhere I want to relax and I find colour very energising – which is good sometimes, but not when you’re resting.’
How would she describe her own interior style? ‘I’ve been so nomadic over the years, it’s probably a hybrid of the West Coast and old-school London. I’ve never had a “style” because I’ve spent the last 10 to 15 years living out of suitcases, so it ends up being quite eclectic. If you’re always on the move, you’re unable to have clutter. I like quite a clean, calming space.’ It figures then that her favourite room is her bathroom. ‘I love the sanctuary of a big bathtub and a bit of downtime, especially when you’re jet-lagged after travelling or decompressing from a busy day on set.’ [More at Source]
Feature: Gugu Mbatha-Raw for Vogue
In her new Apple TV+ series Surface, which premieres on Friday, Gugu Mbatha-Raw portrays Sophie, a woman with amnesia who’s trying to piece her life back together. “She doesn’t know who she is, and that was quite a unique challenge as an actor,” Mbatha-Raw tells Vogue. “When you’re creating a character, you often start with a backstory and build their childhood and experiences. For me, it was really liberating, as I had to start from a much more intuitive and sensory place.”
For the new psychological thriller, Mbatha-Raw also serves as an executive producer for the very first time. She says she was drawn to being a part of the project after learning it was being produced by Reese Witherspoon’s media company, Hello Sunshine. “Knowing their ethos and the type of projects that they put together—which are very female focused stories, and empowering women both in front and behind the camera—it was really a no brainer,” says Mbatha-Raw. “[Creator] Veronica West’s script was also just so brilliantly written and mysterious.”
To celebrate the new series last night, Mbatha-Raw, Witherspoon, and more attended the official premiere at New York City’s Morgan Library. “It was pretty special to see Surface on the big screen and with an audience,” says Mbatha-Raw. “Because of COVID, I had only ever seen the show on my own, so to be able to watch it with other people and the rest of the cast and crew was amazing.” The stylish star, who brings easy elegance to the red carpet, brought out a stellar fashion look for the occasion.
Working with stylist Leith Clark, hairstylist Nai’Vasha Grace, and makeup artist Vincent Oquendo, the star wore a draped Alexander McQueen gown in green poly faille, with a built-in cape detail. “The structure of the dress was so striking, and had real architecture to it,” says Mbatha-Raw. “There’s something about this dress that’s very feminine, but it also has an edge to it, which is something you always find with McQueen.” A Brit herself, she said the late designer is still one of her favorites, and this is her first time wearing the label on a red carpet. “I love that there’s a lot of fabric and pleating,” she says. “It’s very interesting—it’s not uniform.”
The star adds that she’s been going through a real green fashion phase lately (last week, for instance, she wore a fringed emerald green Dior dress). “Green is the color of the Heart Chakra,” says Mbatha-Raw. “I love what green represents: life and freshness.” Even her Cartier jewels last night—a High Jewelry bracelet and earrings made of platinum, diamonds, and peridots—were green. When it comes to red carpet dressing in general, Mbatha-Raw says she always looks for a sense of ease. “I like to feel confident and powerful,” she says. “I want to feel like I’m wearing something that I can have a great time in.” [More at Source]