‘Beyond The Lights’ Interview with Star Gugu Mbatha-Raw

By Jorge Carreón.

It was watching Grammy Award-winning superstar Alicia Keys in concert that inspired director-writer Gina Prince-Bythewood to compose the script that became “Beyond the Lights.” This moving land highly charged love story is powered by the electricity of the hottest star on the music scene and the young LAPD officer that keeps her from falling over the edge of fame. While developing the film, Prince-Bythewood had a very specific image in mind as to the kind of the young woman that would be its focus. The lead character of Noni was a complex role, one that required an actress to not only act out an emotional journey, but express herself through song and dance, too.

Some of the industry’s most visible young stars were considered for the role without success. Taking her cue from some such classic and Oscar-winning showbiz dramas as “Walk the Line” and “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” Prince-Bythewood shifted her focus to finding an actress who could first and foremost handle the emotional depth required.

Enter Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

“Gugu came in, and started doing the scenes and it was just a thrilling moment,” Prince-Bythewood recalled. “It was ‘oh my god, this is happening, this is her, this is her.”

“She’s the full package,” added “Beyond the Lights” producer Stephanie Allain. “Not only is she gorgeous but trained at RADA. She’s got the chops.”

One of the hottest talents on the rise, Mbatha-Raw scored raves in early 2014 for her star-making performance in the period drama “Belle.” With “Beyond the Lights,” the British born artist defines versatility as Noni, proving herself a triple threat as an actor, as well as a singer and dancer. While the provocative images of Mbatha-Raw as a pop star will certainly garner plenty of attention, it is her searing emotional authenticity that will remain on people’s minds long after the end credits roll. Here’s what Mbatha-Raw had to say about the making of “Beyond the Lights” and while aspirational films are essential in this media-obsessed age.

QUESTION: This has been a great year for you, creating such wildly different roles “Beyond the Lights” and “Belle.” Will the “real” Gugu please stand up?

GUGU MBATHA-RAW: That’s the joy of acting! [LAUGHS] I feel like I’ve had such gifts with the roles of this last year, working with two female writer-directors, Amma Asante with “Belle” and Gina Prince-Bythewood with “Beyond the Lights.” I feel like they’ve really honed in on these female-centric roles and have brought these layers and nuances to these characters. It’s great to be able to have such a range in such a short period of time.

QUESTION: Your role as Noni required you to be a triple threat as an actor, singer and dancer. What did it take for you to unleash your inner diva?

GUGU MBATHA-RAW: The honest truth is Gina surrounded me with some wonderful artists in the industry to support me and guide me. You know, I worked with an amazing vocal coach called Debra Byrd and also the music producer who wrote all of Noni’s songs is The Dream, who wrote “Umbrella” for Rihanna and “Single Ladies” for Beyoncé. He’s very experienced in writing a hit diva song; so working with him in the studio was very helpful. Also, Laurieann Gibson. did all the choreography and I spent hours sweating it out in the dance studio with her. So, with the combination of working with people that really are at the top of their game in the contemporary music industry, I was feeding off them and being guided by them and that really helped.

QUESTION: It seems our film narratives are finally catching up to presenting an accurate face of today’s audience. Have we reached a point where race is no longer the defining trait of a film like “Beyond the Lights?”

GUGU MBATHA-RAW: Absolutely! “Beyond the Lights” really isn’t about race; it’s a love story. Noni’s mom is white and she’s of mixed heritage, but that’s not an issue in the movie. It just is and I think that’s a place that we are at or hopefully moving towards. It doesn’t have to be an issue. It’s just another story and a universal story. I’m bi-racial myself. I’ve played many roles where that’s specified in the story or not even referenced. For me, what’s interesting is first and foremost, playing a human being and Noni is such a complex character.

QUESTION: Noni is definitely a complex role. Her emotional arc in “Beyond the Lights” covers quite a bit of ground before reaching her cathartic final act. How did you decompress from playing such a challenging role? How did you reconnect to yourself again?

GUGU MBATHA-RAW: After this movie, I actually went to South Africa for the first time. I’m half South African, so that was a big, big deal. That was a great decompression experience for me; and also in terms of identity being able to explore my roots there, you know? I have my day-to-day decompression experiences. Be it a hot bath or a yoga class, that all keeps me going through the period of shooting. But for me, after these emotionally intense roles, I d need to take a step back because then there’s the promoting of the film which is another job in itself. It was great to have the opportunity to go traveling and to meet some of my family, some of whom I’d met and some of whom I hadn’t met. So yes, decompression is very important, otherwise, as we see in the film, you could end up on a balcony and that’s just not worth it.

QUESTION: We live in an era where being a celebrity dominates so much. Would you consider “Beyond the Lights” to be a cautionary tale about the pressures of living such a public life?

GUGU MBATHA-RAW: This is somewhat of a cautionary tale. The thing that I really loved about Gina’s script was that she really exposes the underbelly of the entertainment industry and the music industry to show what’s behind the gloss and reveal the human being beneath that. I think so often in our culture we celebrate this sort of fantasy girl. We get to understand and show, particularly in this film, that every glossy pop diva was an 11-year-old little girl once. What’s the cost if you are selling your soul for success? At some point, that’s going to catch up with you.

QUESTION: Do you see “Beyond the Lights” as a statement of empowerment for women?

GUGU MBATHA-RAW: I think Gina put it all in there and she puts a lot of soul into her work. But, I think that this is definitely a movie for everybody. As I said, it’s a universal love story, but I think it’s a story of female empowerment and finding your authentic self. That’s something that we need to celebrate more in our culture because, even though Noni goes through these horrendous emotional experiences, she comes out the other side stronger. That’s a great message to put out there.

QUESTION: Will you continue to essay such aspirational roles in the future?

GUGU MBATHA-RAW: I I’ve been very fortunate with “Belle” and “Beyond the Lights” to have been part of movies with a message. These are not moral messages being rammed down your throat, either. It is important to be conscious of the message that you’re putting out there. We do have a platform as artists and making these films is such a collaborative experience. It takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get a movie to the screen. I do feel a certain element of responsibility to say something worth saying with it, as well as entertainment.

Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, “Beyond the Lights,” starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker and Minnie Driver, is playing in theaters now.