You know you’re making it when a voicemail message begins: “Hey Gugu, it’s Oprah.” Any lingering doubt of fame disappears when Prince throws the afterparty for the premiere of your break-out film, Beyond the Lights – and plays a 90-minute set. Gugu Mbatha-Raw, 31, the British actress with South African roots, is fast gaining worldwide recognition for her talents. Striking and beautiful, Mbatha-Raw is following in the footsteps of Charlize Theron, another South African who’s made a name for herself in Hollywood. Mbatha-Raw is the daughter of a British nurse, Anne Raw, and a UK-based South African doctor, Patrick Mbatha. Her parents separated when she was a year old.
Though she’s still close to her dad, she was raised by her mom in Oxford. Mbatha-Raw is sweet, funny and, charmingly,…
