This Is What Gugu Mbatha-Raw Did When She Got Cast In Loki
Actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw is set to make her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in the Disney+ series Loki. Here, the actress plays Ravonna Lexus Renslayer who works for the Time Variance Authority, a little-known agency that takes Loki (Tom Hiddleston) into custody following the events of Avengers: Endgame.
In recent years, Marvel has constantly tapped various actors to join its ever-expanding universe and for Mbatha-Raw, this new opportunity is exciting. And when she first heard that she got the job, fans will probably never guess what she did soon after.
Who Was Gugu Mbatha-Raw Prior To Joining The MCU?
Mbatha-Raw is a veteran actress, working on both film and television since the early 2000s. Early on, she gained recognition for her performance as the titular character in the biographical period drama Belle and as Will Smith’s love interest in the biographical sports drama Concussion. Years later, Mbatha-Raw also went on to play the lead character in the Emmy-winning episode of the Netflix series Black Mirror.
In recent years, Mbatha-Raw has been on a roll, earning praise for her performance as Hannah Shoenfeld in the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show (which is headlined by Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon). Meanwhile, the actress was hard at work on Loki when coronavirus forced Marvel Studios to halt production on some of its series for a period of time. And if fans think that Mbatha-Raw used the downtime to familiarize herself with Marvel films, think again.
What Did She Do When Got The Job?
From the looks of it, Mbatha-Raw takes pride in being able to prepare for any role she takes on as extensively as possible. Admittedly, she didn’t know much in the beginning. “I can’t confess to being a major MCU nerd,” the actress explained while speaking on The Big Ticket podcast by Variety and iHeart Radio.” Obviously, it’s a big part of our culture, so I had a huge awareness of it…”
However, the moment she learned that she had booked a part in Loki, Mbatha-Raw knew that it was time to do further research and that’s exactly what she did. “I got Disney+ when I got the job, so I binged a lot of it then,” the actress revealed during an interview with Forbes.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw Has Always Had A Marvel Connection
Perhaps, unbeknownst to may, Mbatha-Raw has always had a connection to the MCU, thanks to her longtime friendship with (Loki himself) Hiddleston. “I actually went to drama school at the same time as Tom Hiddleston,” the actress once revealed.
Coincidentally, the two actors also met up around the time that Hiddleston was just starting out in the MCU. “Ten years ago when I first came out here to do a TV pilot, Under Covers, he was shooting the first Thor at the same time,” Mbatha-Raw recalled. “I remember him telling me about this experience of this new movie that he was doing.” Back then, she also may not have thought about joining her former schoolmate in the MCU one day but clearly, this opportunity was too good to pass up.
What She’s Said About Working On Loki
As one may expect, Marvel has been mostly keeping a lot of details surrounding Loki under wraps. The show’s cast have been sworn to secrecy too. Mbatha-Raw herself told Games Radar, “I'm NDAd up. I really can't tell you much more than you have probably read on the internet.”
That said, the actress has dropped brief details about the series. “It goes to other places and you get to see that character mature in a different way,” she told ET. “It’s going to be exciting for the fans to really see Tom and that character take the center of the story.”
At the same, Mbatha-Raw also praised the work that director Kate Herron had done in this new Marvel series. She also appreciated that it was Herron at the helm from beginning to end. “More than anything I was excited that it was being directed by one director,” the actress remarked. “To be a part of a limited series [that’s] not just like episodic television, where you have a different director every week, Kate really was going to direct all of the episodes, which I've never had that experience on TV. I know it’s obviously been done, but personally, I’ve not had the experience of doing several episodes with the same director.”
Just like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki will run with six episodes. In recent months, there have also been reports that the series may return for a second season although Marvel Studios is yet to confirm that this would be the case. As for Mbatha-Raw, the actress won’t say if will be sticking around the MCU long after the series is done. When asked about this, she only said, “Beyond Loki? I really can’t can’t talk about. But yeah, Loki is my next thing.”
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