Get to Know Gugu Mbatha-Raw, the Stunning Actress Taking Over Netflix

Gugu explained to Arsenio that her first name, Gugulethu, means "our pride" in Zulu. She was born in Oxford to Patrick Mbatha, a South African doctor, and Anne Raw, an English nurse. Her parents split when she was a baby.

Gugu spent her childhood in Witney, which was David Cameron's constituency from 2005 to 2016. She told the Evening Standard that she saw the former PM on a number of occasions: "He used to turn on the Christmas lights, and I once saw him in Waterstones."

It would be quicker to name an actor Gugu hasn't worked with. She's shared the screen with Will Smith, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Hanks, and Keanu Reeves. On stage, she was Juliet to Andrew Garfield's Romeo and Ophelia to Jude Law's Hamlet.

Though Gugu told the Evening Standard that "It's not like I deliberately go out looking to work with female directors", some of her most powerful and memorable roles have been in films with female directors: Amma Asante, Ava DuVernay, and Gina Prince-Bythewood. One such role was the lead in Amma Asante's Belle, a period drama based on the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate child of a slave and an English naval officer who was raised in the British aristocracy. This was a breakout role for the star and put her on Oprah Winfrey's radar.

Gugu was awarded an MBE in the Queen's birthday honours list in 2017. She attended an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace, where Prince Charles apparently told her that he recognised her from Doctor Who.

Many people fell in love with Gugu when she starred in "San Junipero", which is often described as the best episode of the anthology series Black Mirror. The chemistry between her and costar Mackenzie Davis is electric, and Gugu, who was born in 1983, loved having fun with the '80s costumes and makeup. The role came to the actress after a number of serious, emotionally strained performances. Gugu told the Evening Standard, "I just needed to express some joy!"

Not only did she star in a film called Belle, Gugu also had a role in the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast, alongside fellow British actress Emma Watson. Gugu played Plumette, the coquettish feather duster who's a love interest for Lumiere.

Gugu has been a bit of a darling in the fashion world since the beginning of her career and has attended the Met Gala more than once (she's photographed here as guest of Alber Elbaz and Lanvin in 2014). She works with Hollywood stylist Cristina Ehrlich, who has put her in a number of memorable looks over the years. A fan of sequins, strapless silhouettes, and bold colours, Gugu's looks are anything but boring.

As well as appearing in The Cloverfield Paradox, Gugu's also set to appears in Netflix's Irreplaceable You, the tear-jerking story of a young woman who's diagnosed with cancer. Yes, that's Game of Thrones star Michiel Huisman, who plays her fiancé in the film.