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Updated 3/7/02

We're Hangin' With....

SAMANTHA MUMBA: Future Girl

"There are a lot of female artists my age around at the moment, but they're all American and blonde and blue-eyed and smiley. I'm totally the opposite of that. I want to show a bit more attitude and I have an opinion."
-Samantha Mumba

At age 18, Pop/R&B artist Samantha Mumba is unique. She's not a graduate of the Mickey Mouse Club. When Christina and Britney were in the "mouse house", Samantha was "clubbin'" in Dublin! She's black, from Ireland (her mom is Irish), and left her performing arts high school at 17 to pursue her singing career but she hopes to finish her education. She spent months touring with N'Sync and her single "Gotta Tell You" was huge in the U.K. and internationally.

Now, Samantha plays Mara, a girl of the far future, in the big budget S.F. adventure film The Time Machine and she doesn't sing a note! When entertainment reporter Lynn b. spoke with the young artist recently before the premiere of the film in L.A., she found her to be aggressive, spunky and self-assured. All delivered with a soft Irish accent. Her tiny toy Pomeranian named Foxy goes everywhere with her and was running around our feet during the interview.

AGW: You have Foxy your doggie with you. Is it lonely on tour?

Samantha: For the N' Sync tour it was fine because I had my mom and brother on that as well and my dancers are friends so it was a constant party. It's a daily routine being on a tour bus. You do a show, go to a hotel room, have a shower, get your pajamas, get on the bus, watch DVD's, go to bed, wake up and you're in another city but it's fun. I got Foxy because I fell in love with her. I got her last year. She's still a baby.

AGW: Was touring with N'Sync a little bizarre?

Samantha: It was great. I had so much fun. For a solid month I was on that cool tour bus and performing in huge stadiums every night. I couldn't have been happier. It was a great time. N'Sync were great fun. They're very, very funny guys.

AGW: When did you start in music?

Samantha: I started performing when I was three, tap-dancing. So, It's never seemed like something different because it's always been part of me growing up. When I was about 7 I got to where I could hold a note. The older I got the more I did.

AGW: How were you really discovered? We've heard bluffing your way into a club.

Samantha: I was in a club and I'd done shows and gotten a bit of Irish press and my now manager was in there, recognized me and introduced himself and it pretty much went from there but because I was only 15 in a club, we had to make that up or the club would hate me and I'd get really bad press.

AGW: A lot of pop stars are making their film debuts. Have you seen the Britney or Mandy films?

Samantha: No because I just came to the states and they weren't out in Ireland. I wouldn't compare any of the roles. They are very different. This film was very challenging and extremely technical with all the CGI effects and everything. I think it was harder than doing just a romantic story but I haven't seen their movies. I think it's great that the girls are doing that. I think the timing is quite bad so it looks like we're doing it at the same time. If I wasn't a singer, I wouldn't be seen in People magazine, therefore I wouldn't have gotten this movie so I'm grateful for that.

AGW: How comfortable is it to go from music to acting?

Samantha: I didn't compare the two at all so I didn't find it was easier or harder, just a completely new experience. Music is very different. It was great for me to be based in one place longer than a week. To be able to unpack a suitcase and have a routine of getting up and going home every night for four months. To work with a team of people who have one aim at the end of it. So you're working with loads of people whereas, when you do music, everything is completely focused on you all the time. If you screw up, it's all on you. When you're with a team you're working together. I loved that.

AGW: You live in Ireland. Is the entertainment industry there different?

Samantha: Oh, I don't think any entertainment industry is like Hollywood. It's very different on a very different scale. Everything for entertainment is happening in Dublin but it's on a much smaller scale.

AGW: Were there major challenges for you doing Time Machine?

Samantha: Yeah. Everything was absolutely new to me. The first day was very, very nerve wracking and intimidating but once I got to know the crew it made it a lot easier. It was very hard work but extremely enjoyable and rewarding. A hard, technical movie to shoot and it was perfect that it was my first movie because any movie I do after will seem a lot easier. It's not every day that you do a big, action adventure, sci-fi movie. I had a fantastic time.

AGW: Was there anything silly happening on the set?

Samantha: Me and my brother found it hard to keep straight faces. There was a time when I got hiccups and couldn't stop in the middle of a scene which was awful. We didn't have time for pranks.

AGW: The Eloi people in the film live in these dwellings high up on a cliff. Was working on that set scary?

Samantha: The (walkways) were very, very sturdy so it was fine. It was just the initial getting up there, looking down and being so far away (from the ground). When you're up there all day you just kind of forget about it.
The other sets were beautiful. I think a lot of people thought it was done all on bluescreen and that we didn't have anything really (to relate to). So it made it a lot easier for me. They built the river and hand planted the bamboo trees. It was breathtaking.

AGW: The Eloi people in this film are a mixed race blend. Is that how you see the future?

Samantha: I haven't a clue what's going to be in the future. I thought it was very clever because it's the total opposite of what the future race was in the original (1960) movie. I thought that was a cool thing to do and an interesting concept.

AGW: Did you have to go under the sand when you are pulled down by a Morlock?

Samantha: Yes, I did. We just did two takes. They had a huge metal container of vermiculite and a lift so we dropped on it and went down. I had ear plugs and nose plugs. It was kind of gross but such a buzz. As soon as I went under I was brought right back out.

AGW: Can you talk about working with the film's two directors (Simon Wells and Gore Verbinski)?

Samantha: It was Simon for most of the movie and Gore Verbinski came in for literally two weeks. All I did with Gore were action sequences so we weren't talking about the actual scenes and lines. He shot all the part where we were running through he tunnels. It was a different feel on the set. The director is the person who keeps everything moving and happening. They had distinct styles. I had so much more time with Simon, more time to bond with him. We were very, very close and I was able to talk to him freely about everything. Whereas, with Gore, I was only working with him for two weeks so I don't feel I'm in a position to really compare.

AGW: Were you familiar with the H.G. Wells novel?

Samantha: I wasn't that familiar at all. I'd heard of the movie. They handed me the (1960) movie to watch when I got the role and I actually didn't watch it until after filming because I was afraid that I would look at the character Weena and try and act or be like her and not have my own print on it at all. I'm glad I did that. Having seen the movie now, I think it was an amazing film for the time that it was made. It was a great story then as it is now but I still haven't read the book which I'd like to do.

AGW: How did you learn the Eloi language?

Samantha: With great difficulty. That was the most challenging part for me because it wasn't just learned phonetically, it was like learning German or French or Spanish. It was also harder because I knew there weren't going to be subtitles on the screen so people wouldn't have a clue what I was talking about so (I had) to try and use hand gestures or the way my voice would go up at the end to get the translation across on screen. I was really worried about how that would work.

AGW: Can you say something to us in Eloi?

(Samantha rattles off a melodic-sounding phrase). You don't know what I'm saying though. I'm not telling you. (laughter).

AGW: This is a physical role. How did you prepare for all the running and climbing?

Samantha: I had to learn rock climbing. That was the only thing I had to do. It was very physical but just running. That was where my fitness level was so I didn't train for that. I'm a good runner. (Foxy barks as if to agree).

AGW: Was it a great experience for your little brother Omero (playing her brother in the film)?

Samantha: Oh Yeah. He's a 12-year-old boy in a big Hollywood movie. He had a great time and loved every second of it. We'd go to each other on the language. We were hoping that our accents would stay mutual and our Irish accents wouldn't come through. We went hand in hand. It was comforting for both of us to have a familiar face there. People say, 'does he thank you for getting him in the movie'? If he wasn't amazing he wouldn't have been picked. He did it on his own.

AGW: How did he get chosen?

Samantha: When I went for the second screen test I took my mom and my brother for moral support. They were looking at other little boys and just figured why not try my brother? It was as natural a bond as you could get onscreen. It made it a lot easier for me than to try to bond with a little boy that I didn't know.

AGW: What kinds of parts do you want to play in future?

Samantha: I'd like a vampire role but I don't want to step on (Aaliyah's) territory. A baddie, I'd love to be a baddie and horror movies are my favorite. I'd love to be a psycho murderer in a horror movie just because it's so different. I want to try lots of different things. I want to try a comedy, but I want to keep the singing and the acting very separate. I don't want to do a movie role where I'm a singer or a dancer because I wouldn't think that would be acting. That's what I do in "real" life. If I keep those two separate, I'll have a better chance of being a tad credible.

AGW: What is your favorite film of all time?

Samantha: I've got three and they're all kind of "kiddie" films but I love them, "The Labyrinth", "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and "The Wizard of Oz".

AGW: What would be your idea of an ideal date evening?

Samantha: Something fun. You don't really go on "dates" in Dublin. Certainly not girls my age or my friends. It would be like you and your friends. We'd go out clubbing but it's different here. You have to be 21 or something here. So, I wouldn't advise a meal with somebody you didn't know because of the awkward silences. That would be awful so something like go-carting, something active

AGW: Do you go on the internet much?

Samantha: I never know what to go on. I check my e-mails then I think what do I want to know or find out and I don't really know where to go yet.
(Girlsworld, Samantha...go to Girlsworld!)

AGW: Are you a fashion trendsetter? (She sends fancy stylists home so she can buy her own clothes!).

Samantha: I follow what I like whether it's in or it's out. If I like it, I wear it. If I'm comfortable in it then yeah. I couldn't wear something that was in fashion if I wasn't comfortable in it. I couldn't carry it off. (For our interview she was comfortable in hip hugging jeans and tan sweater).

AGW: You are so artistic. Music, acting..what else?

Samantha: I wrote half the songs on my first album. I don't have any spare time but I love painting. I love art galleries. Salvadore Dali is my favorite artist. I've loads of interest but rarely have time to do them.

AGW: Is there a significant other in your life?

Samantha: Yes, but I'm keeping that personal. (Rumor has it that she is seeing N'Syncer Joey Fatone).

AGW: What's next for you?

Samantha: Lots. I've just finished my second album so I'm concentrating on music for a while. I'm going to be bringing that out just before Summer. I've got my U.K. and Irish tour starting in like October/November and there's talk of other movie stuff at the moment.

AGW: If you had a time machine, where would you go?

Samantha: I think the '70's, that whole era to see your mom and dad in their flares. That would be very amusing. Other than that, I'd go back in history. Not into the future. I don't want to know. Don't want to jinx myself. I'm really, really happy where I am.