Lupita Nyong’o Reveals The Dark Side Of Her Oscar Rise

Lupita Nyong’o can have won an Oscar for her very first film role, but she quickly discovered that Hollywood’s imagination for her talent was far smaller than her own.

As an alternative of the wide-ranging opportunities she expected after “12 Years a Slave,” she was met with offers that pushed her toward one narrow, painful stereotype, forcing her to challenge the industry’s limited vision of Black womanhood.

Winning an Academy Award must have been the moment the industry opened its doors wide for Nyong’o. As an alternative, she says her inbox full of variations of the identical role.

As she told CNN, “My winning an Academy Award got here on the very start of my profession… So, it really did set the paces for all the pieces I’ve done since.”

Somewhat than the leading roles she anticipated, she received offers that echoed her debut performance.

Nyong’o explained, “What’s very interesting is that after I won the Academy Award, you’d think like, ‘Oh, I’m going to get the lead roles here and there.’ Nevertheless it’s ‘Oh, Lupita. We’d such as you to do one other movie where you’re a slave but this time you’re on a slave ship.’”

Those, she said, were the offers arriving “within the months after winning my Academy Award.”

Her early profession success became each a blessing and a trap and she or he found herself pushing back before others could reduce her artistry to 1 archetype.

For Nyong’o, the weeks after her historic victory were emotionally fragile.

“It was a really tender time,” she said, describing how the general public projected predictions onto her future, asking whether this African woman’s profession was destined to soar or crumble. Headlines and think pieces speculated loudly while she tried to remain grounded.

She revealed the inner pressure she felt, noting, “I needed to deafen myself to all those pontificators because at the top of the day I’m not a theory. I’m an actual person.”

Her goal, she said, was to function a “joyful warrior” in shifting how African identities are depicted.

That mission informed her decisions. As she explained, “If meaning I work one less job a yr to be certain that I’m not perpetuating these stereotypes which can be expected of individuals from my content then let me try this.”

She refused to betray her values just because Hollywood lacked imagination.

As an alternative of accepting the narrow roles she was offered, Nyong’o broke into blockbuster territory.

She stepped into the “Star Wars” universe as Maz Kanata, joined Marvel’s “Black Panther” as Nakia, and added acclaimed work like “Queen of Katwe,” “Us,” and “A Quiet Place: Day One.”

Nevertheless, while her résumé expanded beyond the confines of early typecasting, the pressure to suit into Hollywood’s expectations followed her in other ways.

In a 2024 podcast episode with Trevor Noah, Nyong’o revealed the emotional complexity behind adjusting her accent for American roles. She admitted it “felt like a betrayal” when she first allowed her voice to remodel.

Drama school was the beginning of that journey. “The primary permission I gave myself to vary my accent or allow my accent to remodel was going to drama school,” she said, explaining that she wanted to grasp her own instrument, not only depend on instinct.

Learning accents became a part of that training. But applying that recent accent outside the classroom was painful.

Nyong’o confessed, “Making those recent sounds in a context that wasn’t the classroom felt like betrayal… I didn’t feel like myself and I cried many nights to sleep…many, many nights.”

Nyong’o has also endured some heartbreaking losses in her Hollywood profession, most notably the death of her “Black Panther” costar, Boseman. At a Screen Talk event throughout the BFI London Film Festival last yr, she opened up in regards to the deep emotional impact of losing the beloved actor and shut friend. When shown a scene featuring her character and Boseman’s T’Challa, she grew quiet, overwhelmed by the memories tied to the moment.

As reported by The Blast, she revealed that she has not been in a position to watch “Black Panther” since Boseman’s death in 2020.

“The grief is the love, and no place to place it,” she said.

When asked if she desired to move on from the discussion, she declined, explaining, “No, no… It’s wonderful. I don’t wish to run away from the tears or the grief. You simply live with it. That have won’t ever be separate from the love that was formed.”

Nyong’o added that the pain stays ever-present.

“I watch this clip and I’m full of grief and I don’t know whether I’ll ever be done shedding my tears from losing my friend,” she shared. “But I’m like, we get to see him alive. And that’s so wonderful.”