Not many people know the name Dido Elizabeth Belle, but the new British period drama from director Amma Asante, titled Belle, is hoping to change all that. Starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw as the titular mixed race daughter of an “aristocratic Royal Naval Admiral,” the film tells Belle’s incredible story as it explores her relationship with Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and how her influence led him to abolish slavery in the British Empire.
Co-starring Sam Reid, Sarah Gadon, Miranda Richardson, Penelope Wilton, Tom Felton and James Norton, Belle is a wonderful and engrossing movie full of strong performances, excellent costumes and sets and a stirring story at the center of it all.
Recently, at the film’s NYC press day, we had the chance to sit down with the cast and discuss Dido Belle and her fascinating life. Speaking with Raw, Wilkinson, Richardson, Wilton and Reid, we talked about when they first heard the story that inspired Belle, how having a background in theater helped with their performances, and much more.
Check it out below and be sure to catch Belle as it’s now playing in select theatres.