Gugu Mbatha-Raw - ‘Have I ever worked with an awful co-star? Maybe one or two’

Gugu Mbatha-Raw - ‘Have I ever worked with an awful co-star? Maybe one or two’

Author: Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment March 5, 2025 Duration: 46:02
Friendship advice: ‘Are you a radiator or a drain?’ To hear more from Gugu tackling your failures join our community of subscribers here: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content Gugu Mbatha-Raw is an actor who firmly resists typecasting: her West End debut was as Ophelia in Hamlet; while on-screen she has tackled everything from Belle, to a victim of sexual assault in the hit drama The Morning Show. Her co-stars have included Jennifer Aniston, Matthew McConaughey, Kiefer Sutherland and Will Smith. Now, Mbatha-Raw returns to Apple TV+ with the second season of psychological thriller Surface. Although consistently a high-achiever, Gugu’s failures have shaped her in important ways - including one failure she shares in common with a former HTF guest, namely Mr Jamie Dornan… ✨ IN THIS EPISODE: 00:00 Intro 03:20 The Empathy Discussion 04:51 Navigating Fame and Criticism 06:54 Running Point and Glorious 12:56 The Fear of Failure 15:01 Music and Personal Growth 19:33 Relationships and Self-Discovery 28:12 Self-Validation and Personal Growth 28:28 Understanding and Processing Trauma 29:57 Therapy and Taking Breaks 30:57 Finding Love with Dani 34:00 The Importance of Family Values 40:19 Parenting Challenges and Lessons 46:49 Navigating Infertility and Step-Parenting 50:24 Business Failures and Lessons Learned Have something to share of your own? I'd love to hear from you! Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan Studio and Mix Engineer: Matias Torres Sole & Gulliver Lawrence-Tickell Producer: Hannah Talbot Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There's a quiet revolution happening in how we think about success, and How To Fail With Elizabeth Day is right at the heart of it. This isn't about schadenfreude or wallowing in misfortune. Instead, Elizabeth Day has created a space where the most interesting conversations begin with a simple, radical premise: our lowest moments are often our greatest teachers. Each episode, a guest-from celebrated artists and thinkers to everyday people with extraordinary stories-sits down to examine three significant failures from their own life. The magic lies in the excavation, as Elizabeth guides the discussion toward the unexpected wisdom and resilience that emerged from those setbacks. You'll hear the raw honesty in their voices, the laughter that comes with hindsight, and the profound clarity that failure can uniquely provide. This podcast, presented by Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment, digs into the messy, human stuff of life that connects us all, transforming shared vulnerability into a source of collective strength. It’s a reminder that the path to any meaningful achievement is rarely a straight line, but a series of instructive detours. The show actively invites listeners to reflect on their own stories, fostering a genuine community around the idea that we can all succeed better by understanding where we've previously stumbled. Tune in for conversations that are as comforting as they are challenging, and which might just change your perspective on what it means to live a well-lived life.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

How To Fail With Elizabeth Day
Podcast Episodes
ON FINDING LOVE AT ANY AGE… With Luke Evans and Dolly Alderton [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:20
We’re taught that love should happen early, and if it doesn’t, something’s gone wrong. But what if that’s not true? In this episode, we hear from past How to Fail guests who found love later, or in their own time. Luke E…
Shabaz Ali - ‘I’ll be a diversity quota as long as I get paid’ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:02
A few years ago, Shabaz Ali was a chemistry teacher in Blackburn. Today, he’s one of the internet’s most beloved creators, best known as Shabaz Says, with millions of fans and a knack for skewering the most outrageous (a…
ON FINDING HOPE IN ADVERSITY… With Sir Chris Hoy and Michael Rosen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:44
This week we’re revisiting two deeply moving conversations that explore what it means to find hope in the face of profound adversity. First, we hear from the 11-time world champion and a six-time Olympic champion, Sir Ch…
ON THE IMPACT OF EARLY FAME… With Shania Twain and Charlotte Church [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:09
Fame isn’t always limousines, five star hotels, champagne and private jets. I find this topic totally fascinating and these two past How to Fail guests give us a glimpse behind the curtain as to what becoming famous at a…
Martin Freeman - ‘We should be saying no to our kids’ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:44
Martin Freeman is one of the most sought-after actors of his generation. Whether it’s Tim in The Office, John - the mild-mannered porn actor in Love Actually, Watson in Sherlock, Bilbo in The Hobbit, the stressed parent…
ON PANIC ATTACKS… With Jamie Laing and Fearne Cotton [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:51
Panic attacks are wide-spread in today’s society, and yet remain something we rarely talk about openly. So it’s vital that we normalise an experience so many of us share - because talking about it is often the first step…
Marisa Abela - ‘You never expect to be told you have cancer at 23’ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:23
You’ll know Marisa Abela from HBO’s critically acclaimed hit Industry, where her portrayal of Yasmin - a brilliant, volatile young woman with ambition to burn, earned her a BAFTA. She also starred as Amy Winehouse in Sam…
ON MEDITATION… With Kirsty Young and Yuval Noah Harari [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:12
It’s claimed that meditation can fix everything. If you speak to anyone on the topic, they claim it will reduce your anxiety, make you slimmer, result in you earning more and mean your relationships are all perfect. It m…
Margaret Cho - They Told Me I Was Too Fat To Play Myself [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:57
This episode contains description of addiction, eating disorders and discussion of suicide. Our guest today is the pioneering comedian, actor and activist Margaret Cho. She began performing comedy as a teenager, opening…