British actress Naomie Harris, 37, has been acting since she was 11-years-old, but took a break to study social and political sciences at Cambridge University and then trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
Her breakthrough film role came in 2002 in Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later, going on to play Bond girl Agent Eve in Skyfall.
She says her biggest challenge has been playing Winnie Mandela in the new biopic Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, in which she stars alongside Idris Elba.
What research did you do to play Winnie Mandela? Did you meet her?
Yes, I interviewed her. But before that I did a great deal of research and found there were two conflicting images of who she is.
I read two biographies and one paints her as a kind of saintly figure and the other portrays her as a complete devil.
So it was difficult to get one picture of the woman from these two vastly different views.
How did you decide to portray her?
I realised she’s an incredibly refined and well educated woman.
She’s wonderful with children and she’s open, generous and warm. But she’s also a warrior so I wanted to show her heart and her compassion.
Like Winnie Mandela, you seem a strong woman, so where do you get that from?
I get my strength from my mum because she was only 18 when she had me.
So she was a child herself raising me, but she always instilled in me the belief that anything is possible.
As a child you believe whatever you’re told, so I’ve always had the conviction I can do anything if I put my mind to it.
What was your opinion of South Africa when you filmed there?
We filmed in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
The former feels like it is still stuck in the past because you can go into restaurants and not see any black faces at all.
The film was screened at the White House for President Obama. Did you meet him?
Yes!
He’s so magnetic and charming that he lights up the room.
He said to me, “The last time I saw you, you were kicking butt in Skyfall”.
And I thought, “Oh my God, the President knows who I am!”
Growing up, did you understand much about apartheid?
I remember when I was a child there was something on the news about it and my mum explained that in another part of the world people were deprived of their freedom because of the colour of their skin.
I was so horrified by that because I thought that could happen in England, too.
And I remember my mum not buying South African fruit and other products.
How did you become an actress?
As young as four I would spend hours imagining I was somebody else and I was in fantasy worlds.
My grandfather gave me a children’s Bible and I would enact that for people when they came to the house.
I always knew I wanted to be an actress.
My mum enrolled me at a local drama school and I just started getting jobs in children’s television.
Why did you move to America to make movies?
I feel if I had stayed in England my career wouldn’t have moved forward at all. There’s just not enough work.
Are you still close to your mum?
We live on the same street. I’m eight doors down from her so I see her every day.
What are your three favourite films?
I’m obsessed with The Sound Of Music and I’ve watched it 30 times.
I love Tootsie because it’s so funny and makes me laugh. I also love the Belgian film L’Enfant because it’s about teenagers raising a child.
Finally, how was working with Idris Elba?
He’s funny, playful and has a silly sense of humour.
We have things in common because both have the same birthday [September 6] and he’s an only child and so am I.
– Mandela: Long Walk To Freedon is released today. Read Daily Mirror film reviewer
David Edward’s verdict
