Raw Talent

Yesterday, I mentioned that there were a few actors in A Wrinkle in Time who I thought gave solid performances compared to the oddly-leaden work by most everyone else.  One was a British actress I said I've come to admire a great deal, Gugu Mbatha-Raw.  If you've seen the film, or plan to, she plays the mother of the main young girl, though unfortunately it's a fairly small role.

I thought that I should pass along a far-better example of why I've come to be a fan.  She has three movies upcoming -- one in post-production, two filming -- and recently was one of the leads in The Cloverfield Paradox.  (She also had a small role in the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast, though someone you really didn't see until the end, as 'Plumette,' one of the castle maids and Lumière's lover who had been transformed into a feather duster.)  Most notably though she was the star of a well-regarded British costume drama made in 2004, Belle, based on a true story.  The film also starred Tom Wilkinson and Emily Watson, among several others.  ​And so, here's the trailer.

It's sometimes tough to tell much about a performance from snippets in a trailer.  So, as a bonus, here's an extended scene.

As I said, she's a terrific actress, and I was hoping that A Wrinkle in Time would be the breakthrough film for her.  Alas, it won't be.  But then, there are three upcoming, so we'll see...