Gugu Mbatha-Raw is set to play a history-breaking beauty pageant queen in the upcoming Miss World-centered flick Misbehaviour.
Alongside Keira Knightley, Mbatha-Raw will play Jennifer Hosten, Miss Grenada, who made history by being crowned the first Black Miss World in 1970. The film explores Hosten’s surprise underdog win at the pageant, which was hosted by Bob Hope and made 100 million viewers tune in, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Hosten beat the pageant favorite, Miss Sweden.
“In a matter of hours, a global audience had witnessed the patriarchy driven from the stage and the Western ideal of beauty turned on its head,” THR noted.
The 1970 pageant was also a big year for the newly-formed Women’s Liberation Movement, which disrupted the live broadcast by invading the stage.
Misbehaviour is being directed by two-time BAFTA winner Philippa Lowthorpe, one of only two women to have won a BAFTA for direction.
The film has yet to announce a release date.
