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- Sophia Ali and Tati Gabrielle on Playing Two Powerful Women of Colour in Uncharted
Sophia Ali and Tati Gabrielle on Playing Two Powerful Women of Colour in Uncharted
by
Basmah Qazi
Instagram / @unchartedmovie
Just when we thought Tom Holland would take a well-deserved break after the phenomenal run of Spider-Man: No Way Home, he decides to star in Uncharted, a film based on the video game of the same name.
Playing the role of Nathan Drake, the movie is a wild ride from start to finish. After being recruited by seasoned treasure hunter Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg), street-smart Drake heads off on an adventure to recover treasure lost 500 years ago.
Brilliantly funny and nail-biting from the moment Wahlberg and Holland’s characters cross paths, the movie will definitely live up to the expectations of those who are fans of the game.
But while the leading men manage to capture the audience with their banter, it’s Sophia Ali’s character Chloe Frazer and Tati Gabrielle’s Braddock that truly steal the show. While the latter is a cold-hearted villain in the film, both characters are shown to be powerful, a refreshing take for two women of colour.
Unlike in other movies, Sophia and Tati aren’t reduced to being sidekicks, instead, they run the show and Uncharted gave them the spotlight they deserve.
“It was extremely empowering. Especially because the majority of our cast and crew are also male, it really helped empower me in that space, to be able to always ask for what I needed, to trust myself, to always stand my ground on things. I loved being Braddock,” Gabrielle told POPSUGAR Australia.
In real life, Tati Gabrielle is the complete opposite of her character. Braddock, who is cutthroat and dominating is a stark contrast to Tati’s soft-spoken and warm nature. But she’s certainly not one to be underestimated. In the film, Braddock has a number of action sequences, which is fitting considering Tati has a background in martial arts.
“I did karate for 12 years, so that aspect of Braddock actually came quite easy to me. I didn’t necessarily have any training fight-wise, besides working on the stunts themselves,” she said. “I did have to learn and train with the karambit, so I [watched] videos and researched where it came from. But most of my training was to bulk up and get all mean-looking.”
You’ll know what she means by bulking up once you watch the movie. Braddock is tough and her leading a team of big, burly men is somewhat inspiring despite their questionable motives.
On one end, we have evil, power-hungry Braddock, and on the other, we have the intelligent and heavily guarded Chloe played brilliantly by Ali. As a Pakistani woman myself, it was a nice surprise to see a South Asian be given such a prominent role, something Ali and I bonded over during our interview.
“Oh my gosh an Australian-Pakistani!” she said excitedly. After we quickly became best friends, Ali told me what she thought of her character.
“I think she has a conscience, she knows how to be a good person and she knows that her actions can be inherently selfish. So, she’s aware of herself but she’s strong and genuinely sure of herself.”
Ali’s performance as Chloe stood out, something that is no easy feat considering she was acting alongside some big names. But that didn’t dull down her shine as her portrayal was beautifully done.
“Playing alongside Tati, who is so badass, such a strong woman, I feel so lucky to be sharing a screen with her. And the fact that we both get to portray these really hard, action-packed women, who don’t take no for an answer is amazing,” she said.
Uncharted is the perfect form of escapism and will be out in HOYTS Cinemas nationwide from February 17.
