
Recently, we were able to sit down with Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who plays astrophysicist Dr. Kate Murry in A Wrinkle In Time. Gugu is well-known for other amazing roles in movies and television (we LOVED her in Black Mirror), so interviewing her about being a part of this monumental film, and playing a scientist and single mother was a fun experience. Here’s what Gugu shared with us about her role as Dr. Kate Murry.

Her First Role As A Mom
When asked how she took on the role of being a mother, even though she isn’t a mom at the moment, Gugu shared that she questioned if she would be able to do a good job. She even asked director Ava DuVernay if she was sure she wanted Gugu to take on the role. Then, she saw a photo of Storm Reid, and that changed everything.
“I saw myself in her. It was really not lost on me that growing up I loved The Neverending Story, and The Wizard of Oz, and all of those incredible fantastical adventures. But, I didn’t have anybody who looked like myself and Storm as the heroine in those kind of movies, when I was young. There was a special cultural significance for me to be ushering in the next generation in that way.”

Find Your Voice
In A Wrinkle In Time, Gugu plays a woman who basically takes on a single mother role, since her husband goes missing for 4 years and she has to provide stability for her two children. Gugu says, if little girls can learn anything from this role, and from the film, she’d love for them to learn to find their voice.
“I’m drawn to the idea of finding your voice. I think the idea that ‘who you are is enough’ is something that I really respond to in this story, especially Storm’s character growing up being bullied at school, being uncomfortable in her own skin, not sure where she fits.
You have all the potential inside of you. And that’s something I would love young people to feel, learn and understand.”

What 8 Year Old Gugu Needed To Hear
A Wrinkle In Time is a film geared towards children between the ages of 8 to 12, so when asked what Gugu would say to her 8 year old self, she had profound words to share.
“It’s okay to work hard. I think I was quite nerdy at school, and I used to get teased for constantly putting my hand up and being like a teacher’s pet, nerd, geek or all of those things that are not cool.
I mean, it didn’t stop me. But I think I would like some reassurance that being a nerd is cool, and actually, nerds are the most interesting people outside of high school. Just keep doing what you love.”
You can see Gugu and the rest of the phenomenal cast in A Wrinkle In Time, which hits theaters March 9th!
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