Wednesday 26 October 2016

BAZ BAMIGBOYE: Actress steps out of her comfort zone to play desperate woman raising her son

BAZ BAMIGBOYE: Actress steps out of her comfort zone to play desperate woman raising her son 

Naomie Harris was scared. She had accepted the role of Paula, a crack addict, in a film called Moonlight. But reading the script, she began to worry about her suitability for the part.
‘I’m teetotal! I don’t drink alcohol; I don’t smoke; I don’t even drink coffee!’ she exclaims.
‘I was like: “How am I going to find a crack addict within me?” ’
The idea alarmed her, but she was excited, too, because the role of this desperate woman, raising her son in a down-and-out district of Florida, was out of her comfort zone, and she knew it would challenge her.
Naomie Harris at The Premiere of 'Moonlight' at Embankment Gardens. As a teetotaller, she had to study hard to play an addict
Naomie Harris at The Premiere of 'Moonlight' at Embankment Gardens. As a teetotaller, she had to study hard to play an addict
She also liked the fact that the film, written and directed by Barry Jenkins and based on a play by Tarell McCraney, a one-time RSC international playwright in residence, was not suggesting that all black people are drug addicts without hope of redemption.
Harris told me she realised after doing some research — and much to her surprise — that she’s not all that different from Paula.
I must have looked surprised, too, because she laughed: ‘There I was, thinking — and judging. She’s an addict. But what I really learned, from watching videos about crack addiction and addicts on You Tube, is that I’m an addict, too. We’re all addicts in some way.
‘Addiction is really about having a pain you can’t deal with; and using drugs — or whatever it is — to numb it. We all have our own sources of pain and emotional trauma and we just use different things to take care of it.
‘Some of us wake in the middle of the night and eat Haagen-Dazs ice cream,’ she says.
Not her, of course. Her thing is work. ‘I overwork, for sure. To compensate for . . . I don’t know. I think it’s just that I’m an observer of life and I’m far more comfortable observing, rather than being in it. Really, my addiction is film — and I serve it by working.’
Her powerful portrait of Paula is among Naomie’s best work, particularly as Paula ages while her son Chiron grows from schoolboy to young adult.
When I saw the picture for a second time, at the Telluride Film Festival, I was struck by one moment when Paula’s body is so riddled with drugs she can barely stagger up the stairs.
Because of visa difficulties, Harris shot all her scenes in three days. The moments she shares with the three actors who play Chiron — Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes — are by turns harsh and heartbreaking.
The picture was lauded at Telluride and that good word-of-mouth followed it to the Toronto International Film Festival, and on to the BFI London Film Festival, where it played last weekend to thunderous ovations (it will go on general release here early next year).
Naomie is grateful to the women she watched on YouTube. ‘I saw people smoke crack; and then I watched tutorials on how to smoke it,’ she said, shaking her head.
‘I met a woman who was a crack addict, and she described her addiction as a love affair gone wrong: you feel like you’re elated and in love and your lover has his claws in you,’ she said, a shiver running through her as she recalled the conversation.
Moonlight is being hailed by critics as one of the best films of the year; and I think a lot of that is down to the acting — not just by Harris, but across the board — as well as Jenkins’s beautiful direction, and the sense that, ultimately, the movie is hopeful.
It’s also good to see Harris in a role that’s the antithesis of Miss Moneypenny in the Bond films; and very different, too, from the counsellor she plays opposite Will Smith, Helen Mirren, Kate Winslet and Keira Knightley in the upcoming Collateral Beauty, which is due to open at the end of December.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3837278/BAZ-BAMIGBOYE-Actress-steps-comfort-zone-play-desperate-woman-raising-son.html#ixzz4ODYIfvqU
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Thursday 6 October 2016

Naomie Harris shines bright in a beaded gown with Janelle Monae at BFI London Film Festival screening of Moonlight

Naomie Harris shines bright in a beaded gown at BFI London Film Festival screening of Moonlight

Naomie Harris was certainly sparkling in the Moonlight on Thursday night, as she turned out for the red carpet screening of her new film.
The Skyfall actress shone bright in a colourful embroidered dress, topping off the look with cerise shoes as she walked the red carpet at Embankment Garden Cinema.
As one of the stand-out stars of the new 2016 drama, Naomie was keen to showcase the flick at 61st BFI London Film Festival.

Shine bright: Naomie Harris dazzled on the red carpet at the BFI London Film Festival on Thursday night, to showcase her new film Moonlight
Shine bright: Naomie Harris dazzled on the red carpet at the BFI London Film Festival on Thursday night, to showcase her new film Moonlight
Picking out one key shade from her rainbow garment, Naomie cleverly co-ordinated her lipstick with her colour pop footwear.
To bolster her beauty look, the stunning screen star wore her hair in retro waves that featured a high-gloss finish.
In the film, which is set in a rough Miami neighbourhood and chronicles one man's lifetime, Naomie plays Paula, his mother who is funding her growing drug habit with prostitution.
Glittering: She was one of the stand-out stars of the film
Stunning star: Her lipstick matched her shoes
Colourful: She teamed cerise shoes with a bright, embroidered gown
Colour pop: Her cerise shoes clashed with the red carpet as she arrived
Colour pop: Her cerise shoes clashed with the red carpet as she arrived
Heading inside: The screening was held in Embankment
Glossy: Her hair featured a high gloss finesse
Rainbow display: She was the star of the night, keen to showcase her new film
On the evening, Naomie's co-stars were out in force, including Trevante Rhodes and Andre Holland. 
Trevante plays Chiron and Andre plays Kevin, while musician Janelle MonĂ¡e plays a character named Teresa. 
Janelle looked suitably cool on the red carpet, adding a masculine smartness to her ensemble with a tuxedo jacket and a bow tie.
On her lower half, Janelle's playful ensemble featured a tulle tutu skirt and delicate, super-flat shoes. 
On the red carpet: Naomie was accompanied by Janelle Monae on the red carpet
On the red carpet: Naomie was accompanied by Janelle Monae on the red carpet
Slick: The look was top-to-toe monochrome
Suited and booted: She wore a jacket and bow tie
Comfort first: She arrived in super-flat shoes, proving that heels were not needed to make an outfit complete
Bow-tiful: The cute shoes featured a bow design at her ankles
Bow-tiful: The cute shoes featured a bow design at her ankles
Finally, she offset her monochrome look with a bright red lipstick, ready to make an appearance in the hotly-anticipated flick.  
It is the story of his struggle to find himself is told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love while grappling with his own sexuality. 
Director Barry Jenkins also looked pleased to see his masterpiece head to the big screen. 
Looking slick: Actor Trevante Rhodes looked super-cool in a mauve suit
Looking slick: Actor Trevante Rhodes looked super-cool in a mauve suit
Dapper chaps: Trevante and his co-star Andre Holland (right) were among the stars delighted to see the film on the big screen
Delighted: Director Barry Jenkins is responsible for bringing the film to the big screen
Delighted: Director Barry Jenkins is responsible for bringing the film to the big screen
Cute twosome: Janelle and Naomie made quite the glamorous pair
Cute twosome: Janelle and Naomie made quite the glamorous pair



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3825890/Naomie-Harris-shines-bright-beaded-gown-BFI-London-Film-Festival-screening-Moonlight.html#ixzz4MLadqUYR
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