Gugu Mbatha-Raw is an #English actress, known for her role as Kelly in #BlackMirror, Dido Elizabeth Belle in #Belle, Noni Jean in #BeyondtheLights, and Plumette in #BeautyandtheBeast. Shes the daughter of Patrick Mbatha, a #SouthAfrican doctor and Anne Raw, an #English nurse. Her first name is a contraction of “igugu lethu” which means "our treasure" in Zulu. However as a #biracial woman, she fails to fit neatly into Hollywood's pre-determined ethnic and racial roles, a truth she learned quickly when she first starting acting in the U.S. "When I first came to America, it was a bit of a shock to the system in terms of some of the labels that I felt were being applied to me that I felt I didn't necessarily identify with myself”. Her first major American project was in JJ Abrams' 2010 series #Undercovers, as an example; the show was hailed at the time for featuring African-American leads, a rarity on TV, but she never identified herself as "African-American," as neither she nor her co-star Boris Kodjoe were born in America. She’s happy as an actor to portray experiences that are not her own, but it is important for her to also be truthful in her work to her experience as a biracial woman. "I think it's great to not have to choose to be black or white, but to be your complex, wonderful self, for me, it's all about being able to be who you are. Being biracial of #mixedheritage, it's who I am. So, of course, I bring that to every role in some respects.” “There should be more opportunities for people of every background, ethnicity and gender. Having a greater diversity of perspectives in Hollywood is something I feel strongly about.” She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the June 2017 Birthday Honours for services to drama. She’s working on 4 different films at the moment, one of them playing Jennifer Hosten in #Misbehaviour, a film about the events following the 1970 Miss World competition, which saw the crowning of the first black competitor from #Grenada. 👑🎭🎬 #WCW #mixedgirls https://www.instagram.com/p/B03uuntFZk2/?igshid=vd0q8wqgu7q2
