The new year may only be a week old, but we’re going to call it right now: 2015 is the year of Gugu Mbatha-Raw. The British actress—newly minted as a bonafide “Rising Star” by both the BAFTA Film Awards and anyone who witnessed either of her performances last year—is about to break out in a major way, and we’d like to invite you to hop on the official appreciation train right now. Choo-choo.
Mbatha-Raw has now signed on for what sounds like her most high-profile Hollywood role yet: starring alongside Matthew McConaughey in Gary Ross’ next feature, a Civil War-set drama titled Free State Of Jones.
The film is a true story that will see McConaughey playing Newton Knight, a one-time Confederate Army soldier who helped lead a ragtag group of Confederate troops that ultimately turned against their government in the middle of the war against the North. Knight and his ilk (many of them Southern Unionists from the same area) attempted to establish a free state in Jones County, Mississippi—yes, the eponymous “Free State of Jones”—while the war still raged.
The Wrap reports that Mbatha-Raw will play Rachel, “a slave whose relationship with Knight played a central part in his life and in his armed rebellion against the Confederacy during the Civil War.” Spoiler alert, historical edition: Rachel and Knight were married and their interracial union was just one of many in their tight-knit Mississippi community. Although Knight’s story is a fascinating and divisive one—Knight is a hero to some, a lawless deserter to others—let’s hope that Mbatha-Raw’s Rachel is the big, juicy part she deserves.
The actress starred in two of 2014’s most overlooked gems: the lovely historical drama Belle and the wonderfully entertaining Beyond The Lights, two extremely different roles that still managed to show off her acting chops and undeniable star power. Whatever “it” is, Mbatha-Raw has it, and it’s high time the rest of the world be treated to her many on-screen charms.
Mbatha-Raw will next be seen in Jupiter Ascending and The Whole Truth.