The British actor Gugu Mbatha-Raw has worked with Reece Witherspoon and Oprah Winfrey, been awarded an MBE and told stories that have challenged perceptions around race. So what, asks Rhik Samadder, keeps her so grounded?

Early on in Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s career, an older, white actor advised she change her name to something easier to pronounce. She declined – a strong choice for a young actor. “I don’t think it’s that strong,” rebuts Mbatha-Raw. She likes her name. Besides, “it means ‘Our Pride’ in Zulu. To change that would be the antithesis of its meaning.”

Mbatha-Raw is known for choosing roles that combine art and social advocacy. She’s won awards, been honoured with an MBE, appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Refugee Agency. People still mispronounce her name, though. The most extreme example she recalls was in Norway, when a host announced her from a piece of paper. “Gucci… Matthew… Ray? I was like, ‘I guess that’s me!’”