This is such a pleasant surprise! Ruth Negga covers the January issue of Vogue Magazine to promote her Oscar-baity role in Loving. I want to see Loving so badly but it hasn’t come to my town yet. I went into this Vogue interview not knowing much of anything about Ruth and I came out really liking her. She’s funny and girly but not twee (she’s 35 years old, but she looks like a 20-something ageless vampire), and she doesn’t shy away from discussing racial politics. Her mother is Irish, and her late father was Ethiopian. She was born in Ethiopia, but she and her mother moved to Ireland when she was four years old, and she grew up with Irish cousins and the Irish side of her family. You can read the full Vogue piece here, and here are some highlights:
Ending up in Ireland: “We were going to go to America but my dad didn’t get out in time.” Three years later, her father died in a car accident. “We found out in a letter and a phone call,” she remembers. “This was 1988. There wasn’t any grief counseling for kids.” Her mother was devastated and never remarried. “She’s a survivor. Very like Mildred.” Unlike Mildred Loving, though, Negga’s mother didn’t encounter any prejudice from being in an interracial marriage. “My mum never experienced that—I mean, never,” Negga says.
She didn’t feel different growing up in Ireland: “I remember thinking, I’m just me. When you’re a kid, you’re just you, aren’t you? It was when I moved to England that I felt it, because I was Irish and black.”Being drawn to the African-American experiences of Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou and James Baldwin: “I didn’t have that many black people in my life, so I had to sort of search them out. And I didn’t grow up in America, but I identified as much with their writing about the black experience as I did with their writing about the human experience.”
How she feels returning to Ethiopia: “I find it difficult because it was an abrupt sort of ending to a lot of my life. I’m always very careful to say I’m Irish-Ethiopian because I feel Ethiopian and I look Ethiopian and I am Ethiopian. But there are 81 languages in Ethiopia, and I don’t know any of them.”
How she identifies racially, nationality-wise: “People have always made assumptions about me. I become very territorial about my identity because it’s been hijacked by so many people, with their own projections.” Understandably, she doesn’t want to be pinned down, reserving the right to change her mind, about herself or anything else. “I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t change their mind,” she says.
She’s been with Dominic Cooper for seven years: “Seven years… What’s that in. . . .actor years? Forty-nine million!” She describes their working pattern as “brilliant. Because we just get on really well.” Their costarring in Preacher wasn’t entirely planned, however. “I had the script first. And he put me on tape for it, reading, and then he was like: ‘Hold on a minute; this is really good.’ I showed him the comic-book cover, and it’s basically his face.”
The lack of diversity in Hollywood: “[It has been] unacceptable for a long time, and it’s becoming clearly an embarrassment. The film is reminding us that there’s a conversation that we need to be having still. It does annoy Joel and me when people say it’s a quiet film. Because it doesn’t feel very quiet to us. It feels really loud.”
I don’t really understand her weirdness about how she identifies racially and nationality-wise. I mean, isn’t it pretty clear-cut? She’s half-white and half-black. Half-Irish and half-Ethiopian. She could call herself biracial, mixed race, black, white, Irish, Ethiopian or whatever she chooses. I think it’s probably more of a case of nations wanting to “claim” Ruth as their own. Ethiopians are probably like, “She’s ours, she’s Ethiopian!” And the Irish want to claim her too. And she lives in London, so the Brits want to claim her too. Also: I totally forgot that she and Dominic have been together so long. She was his jumpoff from Amanda Seyfried, does anyone else remember that? But now I’m thinking it’s more like Dominic met Ruth and everything clicked. Sweet.
Photos courtesy of Mario Testino for Vogue.
Must see movie: “Loving”
She is lovely. So are her clothes.
It was a good film.
Seriously!
I love that dress she is wearing in the second pic.
Wow, she is beautiful! Loving is the movie I have been wanting to watch for a while now, this weekend it is on my to do list.
+1
Late to the party. Lots of celebitchy Brits were going on about her beauty but I really didn’t see it before. That Vogue pic of her laying on the couch is just wow! A very mature, timeless and sophisticated beauty. Get her a Chanel perfume contact, STAT.
I don’t get how you don’t get that identifying isn’t as easy for everyone as going: “well, I am half/half”. There are so many things that can complicate it, like she might identify more with Ireland in some ways because she grew up more with her Irish mother and Irish relatives, on the other hand she likely later had experiences in which people denied her irishnesss, like : “but really, where are you from?” and so on. So at times she might identify more with being Irish and other times she might be “I’m proud to be black!” Or whatever. Blackish actually had an episode about how difficult it can be last week or so.
There are so many factors that go into racial/ethnic identification and how people choose to associate. I’m of mixed heritage/ethnicities/races. I understand her sentiments about being highjacked with others’ assumptions or conclusions about “what we are.” Also, the “What are you?” question comes up a A LOT and it’s frustrating. I’m not a “what” I’m a “who” and I’m not a thing to be, but a person with lots of different ways of identifying. I feel what she’s saying, and what you’re saying, Lena.
>I’m not a “what” I’m a “who”
That my sentiment and my answer most of the time.
It should be true for everyone. Why should someone be defined by his/her skin color or ancestry ?
@Jane.fr
+1,000!
I too am a mixie and if I had a penny for the amount of times I have been asked “Where are you from?” or “What are you?” I would be a very very rich woman….
I just say Canadian and when they ask where my parents are from I say Canada and then immediately ask where they are from and what they are. They get the hint after that..It is exhausting and strange. Us beige folk should just be allowed to be without all the bloody questions, demands, claims or categories…
I live in a utopia in my mind:)
@Scotchy
Your utopia seems about right to me! 😉
Exactly.
It’s not as simple as being half this and half that when you look like you’re from one place but grew up in an entirely different culture.
Yes and also the fact that there are countries that doesn’t have “one” culture but many that live within the territory of that nation.
I got the impression that Ruth was referring to that specially because, by saying she is Ethiopian it would also imply she is part of one of those cultures within the country, which she admitted to don’t know very well.
So I don’t think is near as simple as who is claiming her. It is more how she deals with her identity as a bi racial women.
Signing on with racial/cultural identity. It’s different for everyone. In a world that judges by appearance, often the complexities are overlooked.
She’s gorgeous, and gives me nicole ritchie vibes.
She is so gorgeous, but in the second pic her eyes are kind of weird??
When you’re mixed-race, nothing is ever ‘clear-cut’, and as someone who’s likely had similar experiences to Ruth I can tell you it has nothing to do with different countries wanting to claim her either. If you’ve dealt with people constantly asking you, “what are you?” or asking where you’re REALLY from, because you couldn’t possibly be from a place like England or Ireland when you can’t be easily classified…it’s tough. And I’m an mixed-race woman from America, so of course I can’t say our experiences are exactly the same; but a huge struggle for me was trying to find my identity amongst the projections and stereotypes other people had been placing upon me my whole life. I get her hesitation in not saying one thing or the other explicitly, because for her it’s likely something she’s developed to protect herself and feel as if her identity belongs to HER, not anyone else.
I know you didn’t mean anything by it, @Kaiser, but mixed race people – especially those who aren’t necessarily super light-skinned or with ‘good hair’ or passing privilege – can struggle just as much to find a place to belong as any other. Maybe don’t dismiss that struggle for identity or her evasiveness on the subject so quickly.
I’m mixed race. I’m half-Indian and half-white. It’s clear-cut. Everyone has the right to identify how they want, but it’s still pretty clear-cut.
If it was for you, then I’m happy for you. I am in no way trying to dismiss your experiences. But it isn’t for everyone – it wasn’t for me, and it didn’t seem to be that way for Ruth growing up, either. Her ‘weirdness’ about her identity was explicitly stated as her being territorial over herself, because people constantly make assumptions about it and her. Like another commenter said, there are many things that can complicate how we choose to identify or even discuss with other people. That’s all I’m saying.
Per my comment below, i’m equally curious about your Indian half.
The point I was trying to make (apparently, I didn’t make it well) was not about the long-winded and neverending discussions about racial identity, belonging and identification. My point was that at the end of the day, you ARE certain things. If you grew up in Ireland, your mother is Irish and you carry a passport from Ireland, your nationality is Irish. That’s not an opinion, it’s a clear-cut fact. If your father is black and your mother is white, you are half-black and half-white. Sometimes you just have fill out the forms and check the relevant boxes, you know?
Sometimes it’s not always clear cut. I grew up identifying as black. My whole family on both sides are light-skinned blacks. Then a couple of years ago I sent in a DNA sample to Ancestry.com and found out I am 41% black, 58% white, and 1% Central Asian, spread out over 15 different nationalities. So what am I? You tell me.
I agree with you Kaiser, while I understand where Ajax is coming from having relocated to the US. My identity first and foremost is Canadian as that is where I was born, where I grew up and what my birth certificate and passport say.It is clear cut. However being here in the US I can see how it would be confusing and limiting. They like there ethnic labels clearly defined and when you are not clearly defined they will try and do it for you and you can feel really alone. However in Canada while I am still constantly asked that annoying question as to what my ethnic make up is, no one questions my Canadianism…
Kaiser, In the interview, wasn’t she being asked about racial identity? Although national identity is usually where you were born/raised (from my understanding). Ruth is from Ethiopia, grew up in Ireland, then moved to England. She has ties to all of those places. Its not like she was raised in one country and she has two parents from different countries/races and thats it. And throw in racial politics into the mix (especially between those of African descent and those of European – which has a unique relationship/history) – yes, it becomes extremely complex.
What is on one’s passport is completely different than which country they actually identify with, especially if you have strong and complex ties to three.
I agree. Identity is complicated and I always struggled with labels in any case. I’m at the point that I get angry if someone reminds me which nationality I hold because I don’t believe in nationality as essentially forming a person in all cases. I used to say I’m a citizen of the world, before the term was ‘incriminated’ by British PM T. May.
To add to your comment, but flipping to her African heritage, as soon as she says ‘Ethiopian’, my first thought is where in Ethiopia? What tribe? What’s their culture?
It’s not as simple as ‘she’s black or ‘she’s half black’ or the catch all ‘African’. She addresses the conundrum of the 81 different languages which equates to that many distinct cultures so i’d be grilling her on that aspect which might be unwelcome if she knows so little about it and her roots were cut so young.
@Lak spot on, I am half Nigerian and that is immediately followed up with what tribe etc etc.. it’s never a simple discussion.
agree @Lak and @Scotchy. Sometimes the more you know, the less you know.
And sometimes you don’t even know what you don’t know!
Who knew that there are 81 languages in Ethiopia? Only someone very familiar with the country and its culture. I feel confident in saying *most* people would stop at ‘Ethiopian’ and call it a day.
A friend of mine (hey gurl!) has been educating me about the various tribes in Nigeria and its North/ South divide. And previously I might not have enquired after being told ‘I’m Nigerian’, at some point I may ask ‘Which tribe?’
And another thing:
Is it me or does Ruth look SOOOO much like Zadie Smith? I mean every time I see press on ‘Loving’, I’m like: ‘Cool. Cambridge educated, super awesome novelist has taken up acting. Good for her!’
comprehension fail 😉
O m goodness Elaine….she does!! It’s been bugging me who she reminds me of. They could be identical twins.
Even when not mixed-race, it can be complicated or personal. When asked about race, in that way, I don’t always know whether to answer white or Jewish (and if it’s a questionnaire, Jewish usually falls into “other”). And if I don’t say white, part of me feels like I’m making a concession to the hate groups that says Jews “pretend” to be white, but then I don’t want bigots to influence how I identify myself.
Anyway, my only point was that I agree that it’s not always a clear cut issue.
If you like Ruth I highly recommend watching Love/Hate. It’s a really gritty Irish TV show, it was a phenomenon in Ireland the whole country was addicted and its storylines made the front page of newspapers. Ruth is amazing in it as is Littlefinger from GOT.
With regards to the race thing, Irish actors often have a chip on their shoulders about the UK claiming them as British I would imagine that is what she was alluding to.
Well, it can be understandable, because many Irish actors are believed (out of UK or Ireland) as being British. Having said that, anyone from Northern Ireland is also British.
The Northern Ireland issue isn’t all that clear cut either. Much of my family hail from there, but are Catholic, and very much identify as Irish (and have always opted for Irish passports, and speak Irish too). Easiest way to insult them is to call them Brits.
@Bex
True, but even if they identify as Irish, their legal nationality can also be British. They chose to be Irish, that’s another matter.
(If we also open a big pandora box containing Scottish, Welsh and Cornish being called ‘English’ all the time or that they don’t feel British the discussion will be long!)
If an actor is from the Republic of Ireland, there’s no mistaken him/her for British, that was my point.
I completely get what you’re saying, it’s just that there are a lot of people from Northern Ireland (especially those with ancestry from the Republic and from the border towns) who lived through the Troubles who really really resent being told that they’re legally British (usually by the English :p) It’s a minefield and a half!
She’s gorgeous and talented. I’m so glad that Loving is in the awards circuit because regardless of the outcome she’s finally getting the attention she deserves.
The cover is simply lovely, what a face!
Her face is soooooo amazing. Captivating. I haven’t seen her act, but I’m really looking forward to seeing Loving.
She has beautiful skin and looks great for her age, but can stop comparing women who look great in their 30’s to those in their 20’s? She doesn’t look like she’s in her 20’s and that’s absolutely fine because she’s not. We don’t have to look like we’re in our twenties to look good.
Well said.
Thank you. I’ll be in my thirties next year, and I know it’s mostly on me to fix my insecurities/choose my influences… but I hate the constant undercurrent of “20’s = still youthful, 30’s = starting to age” running through so many of the articles I read. It’s not necessarily the writers or their intentions; it’s a larger social paradigm that affects all of us, but it should be called out! Getting older means getting wiser and staying alive, and I embrace both of these things (who wouldn’t?!), but it’s hard to squash this subconscious idea that I’m leaving my desirable, youthful years behind the day I turn 30. 30 is still pretty young, for one thing! Most of my friends are turning 30 and still figuring everything out.
Even when people tell me I look young for my age and say “you’ll be glad about that when you’re in you’re 30’s/40’s”, I want to rewind the tape and forget their words. I hate that “looking like you’re in your 20’s” is the ideal. It’s yet another impossible ideal that affects women far more than men, and it’s so hard to undo the conditioning. I get that it’s just different stages of life, and some women look more youthful than others at the same milestones… but isn’t that the point exactly? We’re all different. You can show every second of your 35 years and still look youthful, still be considered beautiful. In fact, most women learn more about their bodies, care more about their health, and have more styling experiencing as they get older. I certainly don’t want to relive the bad skin and ill-fitting clothes of my early 20’s!!
I am really loving her with the more I read about her. No pun intended! After reading that that interview with Amanda Seyfried from a few years ago, I’m hoping she’s too involved with her own life to still be focused on her ex’s.
It is good for her Oscar campaing that she got this cover, there has been less talk about her lately. I don’t know if she makes it in, this year the actress categories are suprisingly strong. It is a good thing since it means more great roles for women but that means some will miss. I am worried Amy does not make it since her film is sci-fi. Hopefully Meryl does not take someone’s spot. Well I have not seen her film so I should not say that but she has so many noms (19!) and tree wins that it would be boring if she made it in again.
Ruth Negga is so beautiful. I cannot wait to see Loving. She needs to win the Oscar!
God, she is absolutely stunning! , these pics look fabulous
She can “identify” however she choses, but if she gets stopped by the cops, she’s going to be seen as black.
If you’re lucky enough to “pass” (meghan markel, Wentworth miller, Rashida jones) then you can decide, but she is “ethnic” enough looking that she does not have that option.
That’s just how it is.
Def see Loving! It was perfect and I hope both she and Joel are nominated.
Her point is it doesn’t matter what that cop CHOOSES to identify her as. Her identity belongs to her alone. Just because society chooses to label you one thing doesn’t mean you passively go along. If that was the case many of us wouldn’t achieve anything because we are labeled stupid or lazy or sexy objects for men.
I find it interesting that while in Ireland, no one questioned her identity and pride in being Irish and Ethiopian but she started being re-defined and questioned when she got to England.
What I have always loved about the native Irish is their pride in their fellow Irish men and women. Similar to Black people in America, if you even have a trace of Irish you are Irish and accepted. Perhaps it comes from long struggles of fighting against a dominant group which happened with both the Irish and African-Americans.
In African, it’s more tribal pride. You can’t just say Ethiopian, you have to say what tribe your Father was. And if he was of mixed tribal identity, you have to choose what tribe his paternal side is!
Now that she is America, she will also have additional pressures to choose whether to identify as biracial or Black, which will open a can of worms. So I can see why she fights so hard against other people CHOOSING her identity for her while also now struggling with the concept post moving from Ireland.
I think this identity issue is difficult for all mixed raced people but super hard for Black/White Biracial people.
I’ve seen her in Agents of Shield. Extremely talented and beautiful woman. Good for her for having this breakthough moment!
That was where I first saw her. I thought she was so interesting looking (not cookie cutter) with her large, expressive eyes and with a real screen presence. Glad to see her getting so much attention now.
She is stunning. I loved her in Agents of Shield, but sometimes I got so lost looking at her big beautiful eyes I missed the dialogue completely.
I think what struck a chord with the post was the black and white, as opposed to shades of grey thinking. I do not mean to make a pun there. I have a certain racial/ethnic/cultural heritage, and may identify very differently from someone with a similar heritage. I will be viewed differently in different places in the world, or even in my own community.
This is complex stuff, and one good thing that could come out of this shitstorm of a year is that we learn more, listen more, speak out more.
+1
The way I identify varies when I’m in different communities, because having a certain race/ethnicity/culture can hold different meanings and cause different reactions when you’re with different groups of people. I have mixed European heritage (though mostly from one particular area) and dual-nationality. It was interesting growing up, because two of the European countries that are part of my heritage have a lot of bad history, so the nationalists in both countries don’t know what to make of it when they meet me. Even having mixed national heritage can bother some people and cause them to out-group you. It’s ridiculous. And now that’s part of my identity too, because part of identity is how people view you and treat you based on those ‘projections’. I feel where Ruth is coming from, in my own limited way. I have a genetic identity, a cultural identity based on how much I’ve studied the language and history of a country, and a ‘visible’ identity (what people believe you are when they see you), etc. Snowflake status achieved lol 🙂
She would not be considered ethiopian by Ethiopians because she is half white.
You need two ethiopian parents to be ethiopian, much like whites are exclusive, so are africans. Africans are not like African Americans, they take their nationality/ethnicity/tribe etc very seriously.
I am not even mixed race yet I understand why it’s not “clear cut” for everybody how that identify when it comes to their racial identity.Just like it’s not “clear cut” how people identify when it comes to their sexuality or sexual identity.
Im really confused about the timeline with Dominic Cooper. Because he was with Amanda Seyfried for a few years right? After getting together during Mamma Mia? So like was he cheating on Amanda with Ruth then?
They broke up in early 2010. So there was probably a few months of overlap, but they were always pretty off and on so it’s hard to say. Plus Ruth could be just rounding up a few months.
I was sure that Dominic and Ruth were together first, and they broke up when he got together with Amanda, and that after he and Amanda split we went back to Ruth?