The Wonder Of Gugu

Gugu Mbatha-Raw was the award-winning actress in danger of becoming cinema’s best-kept secret. Until now

- Bim Adewunmi

Gugu Mbatha-Raw and I had plans – highfalutin plans – for when we met. In light of her recent role in Disney’s blockbuster A Wrinkle In Time, we were going to stroll around the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, take in some crisp air and chat animatedly about life, the universe and everything. London, that mercurial mistress, has other plans, however. As we take in what should be a panoramic view of the city, the Cutty Sark is barely visible through the deep, shifting mist, the Old Royal Naval College looks less than splendid, and the O2? Entirely unspottable. In the shadow of the statue of James Wolfe, the victor at Quebec, Mbatha-Raw suddenly points: ‘Oh, wait – I can see the Thames! It’s that… brown sludge,’ she laughs. She turns to me. ‘Is there somewhere to get a cup of tea?’

So off we go to find a cuppa. ‘This is cosy,’ says Mbatha- Raw, as we settle in at a nearby café and order green tea for her, peppermint for me. She smiles broadly, as well she might. The 35-year-old actress from Oxfordshire has just returned to Britain after an astonishing three-year period of near-constant filming that promises – finally – to transform her into an international star. To be fair, if you don’t know about Mbatha- Raw yet, it’s not for any lack of trying on her part. From supporting roles with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts in Larry Crowne to playing the feather duster Plumette in last year’s mega-hit Beauty and the Beast, to her captivating turn as the eponymous Belle in Amma Asante’s 2013 film, she has a steadily building fanbase.