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" In terms of 'Beyond the Lights' and 'Belle,' they're definitely stories about identity. They're female empowerment stories. So I'm exploring that through my work. "

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" When you become a slave to a public persona and don't feel comfortable without it, it becomes a shield, and it shouldn't come at the expense of your self-worth. "

Gugu Mbatha-Raw

You

Feel

Your

" I'm interested in playing lots of different complex women. "

" I never wanted to be like anyone growing up. It's always been about the enjoyment, and I've just never wanted to imitate anyone. "

" For me, I try and be authentic in my choices and follow my instincts, and I think it's a valuable message for women in today's society to learn to love yourself. "

" When I was nine, 'The Borrowers' was such a big series for me! "

" You have to be able to appreciate who you are. "

" When I'm not working, I'm really, really low key. I don't wear makeup unless I have to; I don't get my hair done unless I really need to. "

" I played Dorothy in 'The Wizard of Oz.' That was my first role on stage. "

" I've always sung. I was really into musical theater when I was growing up. As a kid, I listened to Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone, actually, on cassette tapes. "

Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Growing Up

Kid

" I definitely grew up to Nina Simone and a lot of Ella Fitzgerald. And I loved Amy Winehouse. I loved that sort of soulful singer. "

Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Singer

Lot

" I'm a very improvisational cook. I sort of like to make things up as I go along. I'm quite creative in the kitchen. "

" I spent a chunk of time in New Orleans doing the movie 'Free State Of Jones,' getting to work with Matthew McConaughey, and also did 'Concussion,' where I got to work with Will Smith. "

" Different fragrances promote different emotions, and I find that fragrance gets me in the frame of mind for that person. "

Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Find

Mind

" I was so thrilled to be in 'Doctor Who.' It's such a wonderful experience, and the fan base that that show has never fails to surprise me. "

" At home I wear my own clothes, no makeup and don't do anything exciting with my hair. I get to borrow pretty dresses for the red carpet and have experts do my hair and makeup. "

" I think there are parts of myself in every character I play. "

" Speaking as a mixed-race woman, there aren't many historical stories about people like me. "

Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Woman

People

" I like the collarbone, a very clean collarbone. I think there's something also very delicate and balletic about that part of a woman's body, and I'm not really a cleavage person, but I do like a back or a shoulder; I think there's something very alluring about backless dresses. "

" I was always the one leading the way in terms of wanting to do acting, singing and dancing. I was lucky that my mother had a very well-adjusted perspective of the world and never pressured me to do anything I didn't want to do. "

" This is going to sound really sad, but I didn't really have any heartthrobs when I was growing up. I was a bit of a geek. "

" I feel like my work has been incredibly diverse. "

" I try not to define myself. Other people are going to do that for you anyway. "

" Because of my job, my hair gets played with a lot on set, so I try to give it little bit of breathing space when I'm not working. "

" The actors that inspire me are the comedians and the people able to shape-shift into different roles and into different media. "

" One of my favourite places is Hampstead Heath. When I first moved to London, I lived in Highgate, and I would walk on the Heath at the weekends and go to the Kenwood House coffee shop. "

Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Places

Coffee

" I do a lot of yoga, and when I'm in L.A., I have an outdoorsy sort of lifestyle. It's sort of comfortable, West Coast, yoga chic. "

" The 'Pride and Prejudice' with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle was something I watched on a weekly basis with my mum at home in Oxfordshire. "

" I think being biracial is a different experience. I think that, and coming from the U.K., I feel as much white as I do black. And so it's really important for me to address these issues of identity in my work. But also, you know, we're always stronger when we work on, you know, what we have in common. And I love exploring that in my work. "

" Sometimes you can't fight change, because you're a part of it, and I feel that in the context of these films that are happening now, there is a kind of change coming in terms of how history is represented on film, and the African, and the African-American and British African experience. "

" That's the wonderful thing about acting - you play a role. It's about humanity, rather than labeling. "