Exclusive: Gugu Mbatha-Raw On Playing Miss Grenada, The 1st Black Woman To Miss World, In ‘Misbehaviour’
Coming out this week from Shout Studios is the comedy drama film Misbehaviour, featuring Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Miss Grenada (Jennifer Hosten), who became the first black woman to be crowned Miss World. The film will be released VOD on September 25th.
Directed by BAFTA winner Philippa Lowthorpe (Three Girls) from a screenplay by Rebecca Frayn and Gaby Chiappe, the cast comprises Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jessie Buckley, Greg Kinnear, Lesley Manville, Keeley Hawes, Rhys Ifans and Phyllis Logan, Suki Waterhouse, Clara Rosager, Loreece Harrison, Emma Corin, Lily Newmark, Emma D’Arcy, Ruby Bentall and Alexa Davies.
Misbehaviour will be based on the real-life story of the 1970 Miss World competition, which was then the most-watched TV show on the planet with more than 100 million viewers. The contest was held in London with legendary stand-up comedian/actor Bob Hope (played by Greg Kinnear) hosting the show. The 1970 Miss World became one of the most memorable and controversial events in pageant history when a global audience had witnessed the patriarchy driven from the stage and the Western ideal of beauty turned on its head.
One of the show’s issue was the sudden protest of the Women’s Liberation Movement. Led by feminist activist Sally Alexander (Knightley), they claimed that beauty pageants demeaned women. The movement gained attention when they caused disruption during the live broadcast, but another controversy erupted when the results were announced, revealing that Miss Grenada won the most coveted title of that night, beating everyone’s favorite contestant, Miss Sweden. Miss Grenada (Jennifer Hosten) became the first black woman to be crowned Miss World.
For Mbatha-Raw, who plays Jennifer Hosten, she got to embody the role of a real person and see what that the pageant did for her as a Black woman and as the first Black to win Miss World. Having appeared in the Apple TV series The Morning Show, Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, the Sundance film Come Away and most recently Summerland, Gugu has showing a different of her acting skill set and it’s a joy to watch.
In speaking with BlackFilmandTV.com, Mbatha-Raw talks about the role in Misbehaviour, meeting Jennifer Hosten and working with Philippa Lowthorpe.
What went into saying yes to this project?
Gugu Mbatha-Raw: I didn't know anything about Miss World in 1970 but it’s such an amazing story. At that period of time, I had no idea that the Women's Liberation Movement had actually formed the ceremony on live TV. It was also the same year that the first woman of color won the competition. This is amazing because it's based on a true story, but it was also really sparkly and witty and funny. I thought it would be a really fun and also interesting movie to work on and also because of some of the issues that come up in it as well.
Did you talk to Jennifer Hosten about the role and how did you decide to play her besides what's on the script?
Gugu Mbatha-Raw: I was really lucky enough to actually meet Jennifer Hosten and before filming, which was amazingly lucky because I started filming The Morning Show at the same time. I got to go tp Grenada itself and visited her there, which was really special just to see her in her in her homeland and because the film itself takes place in London. So for me, to get a chance to go to Grenada and understand her culture and understand the experience from her perspective was really, really enriching. She's written an autobiography, and so many things since Miss World, and I thought that was really interesting. She really saw herself as more than just a pretty face and she obviously has proved that in her life. She was an ambassador to Canada, and a trained therapist. She’s amazing. I wanted to get her perspective on the experience, understanding her poise, and her intelligence. I wanted to bring that through in the character..
Did you talk to her about what derailed her from being a broadcaster, even though she's had a glamorous life afterwards?
Gugu Mbatha-Raw: We didn't get to go into this in the film, but Jennifer was a flight attendant around the Caribbean, and she's well traveled. Before the competition she traveled a lot. She obviously wanted to work at the BBC. I think once she actually won the competition, I don't know that her plans were necessary derailed, but her priorities changed. At that time, you win Miss World, and you basically tour the world with a whole show, and it's quite a commitment for a whole year after the competition. After winning and traveling a lot, I think she just wanted a slightly quieter moment. She started a family and her priorities shifted after all that time in the public eye. But she has an amazing story and it's so fascinating. The whole genesis of the project actually came from a radio program on radio four called ’The Reunion,' which put together many of the real women and so in a weird way broadcasting brought the film to life. The producer heard that show and thought it was an amazing subject.
What's your experience watching any of these pageants? Did you grew up watching them? Do you see it differently now?
Gugu Mbatha-Raw: I did not grow up watching beauty pageants. I think I was doing school plays and art projects. It's so interesting to me coming to this, quite frankly fresh. I think in the UK, there are certainly pageants in my upbringing, but they weren't on my radar at all. It is quite fascinating to watch the original footage of real competition in 1970 and see how degrading it is to us in the 21st century eye and how misogynist the language is used by Bob Hope and how he compares the women as cattle and race horses. That was a good eye opener to see how far things have really changed. I was quiet fresh to this.
Was this a role you had to do some physical work for, knowing you're going to be play a beauty pageant contestant?
Gugu Mbatha-Raw: I had texture coach, and I have a dance background, but what was quite fun is that in those days, they really did have a different way with the modeling schools. That was the era where you had to learn how to skate and how to walk like a lady, walk with a book on your head. I was coming straight from The Morning Show, so I didn't have much time to do any radical, physical transformation in the role. I did run along the beach, the same beach, that Jennifer told me in Grenada. It's where she would learn to get in shape for the competition. And I'm not alone on that.
With as many projects that you do, what did you take from this director, that's new that you can take on to your next project?
Gugu Mbatha-Raw: Philippa (Lowthorpe) is amazing. I really appreciate her point of view. It’s told from very much from the female gaze, and we definitely get a different perspective of the radical feminists of the Women's Liberation Movement, and the women in the competition, and I think the film doesn't judge those women. The girls are forced to show their bottoms to the audience for a better appraisal. And Philippa really put the camera on the women's faces, which I really appreciate it. Understanding that they're not just there to be objectified, but they're whole,multifaceted human beings.
With more movies starting to play on streaming platforms, on demand and in some theaters, coupled with the new TV season getting underway, what’s the sell to seeing this film?
Gugu Mbatha-Raw: It’s so much fun. The real world right now is quite daunting and quite uncertain. There's something out there in a charming, nostalgic way about looking back at the era of the 70s and costumes and the music. There's an element of escapism that I think people will really appreciate right now. It has a message. It’s really empowering and inspiring to look back at the legacy of these women that paved the way and the feminism day and the depictions of beauty and Jennifer Hosten being the first woman of color to win Miss World. Back in the 1970, there was no Beyonce or as many role models for young women. I think it’s inspiring in that respect to see how far we have come.