It might be clear now that Australian actor Charmaine Bingwa was destined for Hollywood, but even she didn't know that in the beginning.
"It was a really unsuspecting journey for me," Bingwa told ABC News.
"I have a business degree and I went down a traditional career path.
"But I feel like if you're meant to be doing something, it will find you."
The Perth actor was working in the corporate world when one day she decided to take "a leap of faith", quitting her job to explore her more creative side.
"I ended up going to music school and I took an elective in acting and ended up following that path," she said.
"And it kind of feels destined for me in a way. And in a way, when you make such a great career change, you almost kind of get a second shot at life, and I really love what I do.
"And so I am going very hard at it."
Bingwa was the recipient of the 2018 Heath Ledger Scholarship and is best known for her role in the critically acclaimed television series The Good Fight, in which she plays Carmen Moyo.
She said she felt honoured and a sense of duty when portraying characters on screen.
"I do feel a level of responsibility as well, as a black, openly gay person having a chance to show visibility of other people on screen," Bingwa said.
"I feel blessed that cinema is opening up a lot in terms of the types of stories that we're telling."
Honouring the stories of 'people who suffered'
Bingwa plays Dodienne, the wife of a man known as "Whipped Peter" (Will Smith) in the Apple TV+ film Emancipation, which is loosely based on the true story of an escaped slave.
Bingwa's filming schedule on Emancipation wrapped up in October last year, but following the Oscars ceremony in March in which Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock after he made a joke about Smith's wife, Smith has been encouraging people to watch the film, telling Trevor Noah on The Daily Show he hopes the work of the "top artists" who worked on the movie is not tainted by his "horrific decision".
Bingwa, too, wants people to set aside any reservations they might have when it comes to seeing the film.
"I would really encourage them to look beyond that," Bingwa said.
"And I would say that the stories of the people who suffered, the people who we're honouring and bringing to screen, are so much more important than a one-time, one-off event that occurred.
"And I've been describing this film as a love letter to our ancestors because we shot on a plantation and you can feel it every second of the day that we were filming.
"And it became viscerally clear to me that the most important thing that this film does is to honour the people that came before us, who've given us the opportunity to live the lives we have today."
Emancipation is currently the fourth most popular show being streamed on Apple TV+ in Australia, sitting behind Slow Horses, Shantaram and Ted Lasso, but ahead of Morning Wars at number 10.
Bingwa said filming on a plantation gave the film a certain intensity.
"It transported you to that time period," she said.
"And it just made you constantly aware of the gravity of what you were doing — that we were portraying real people. And universally on the set, we all wanted to get it as right as possible.
"We wanted to honour the people whose memories we were portraying."
A universal story
The stunning film in which Peter's pride, dignity and defiance belie the cruelty and inhumanity of his circumstances is all about survival. And it's not just the slavers Peter has to worry about. There's a key scene in which he also battles an alligator.
His belief in a higher power brings him hope, his desire to reunite with his family fosters resilience. There's humour despite danger. But as a viewer, when confronted with a scene featuring an open grave filled with dead slaves, one of whom could easily have been Peter, you can't help but feel the reality of his situation and the injustice of it all.
"Will's level of commitment was palpable to me from the jump because when I met him, he was emaciated," Bingwa said.
"He had lost so much weight for this role and it's a really physically gruelling role for him, and his commitment to his craft and to the stories was palpable at all times.
And he's a real leader … he really likes to unite, galvanise and inspire whenever he's on set."
Smith is also a producer on the film, and while Emancipation has failed to pick up any Golden Globe nominations, the Oscars are still in play.
Bingwa describes the film as "a love letter to our ancestors".
"What I love about this film is at its core is a man trying to get home to his family, which is such a universal story," she said.
"It's such a great tale of triumph and love and spirit in overcoming, and love is its guiding factor.
"And I feel very blessed to play the character I play in the film because she really is the emotional heart of the film.
"She's what keeps her family together. And in such a bleak circumstance, she's still able to be so full of love for her children, so full of faith in her husband.
"And for me, it's really the final scene in the movie that brings all those themes home because it's through faith and spirituality, and just pure love of each other, that they're able to be reunited."
Emancipation is now streaming on Apple TV+
