As a long-time cinephile who has followed Lupita Nyong’o‘s meteoric rise to stardom, I find her recent revelation about sacrificing her Kenyan accent to fit into Hollywood deeply moving and thought-provoking. Born in Mexico and raised in Kenya, Lupita’s unique background sets her apart from many of her peers, yet she chose to adapt to the industry’s expectations.
Lupita Nyong’o shared on the “What Now? With Trevor Noah” podcast that it felt like a form of self-betrayal when she decided to let go of her Kenyan accent to pursue an acting career in America and take on various Hollywood roles. Born in Mexico, she spent her childhood in Kenya before attending Yale School of Drama in the U.S. and eventually making waves in Hollywood.
Nyong’o revealed (in an interview with Entertainment Weekly) that the moment she decided to alter her accent or let it evolve was when she enrolled in drama school. She wanted to be more than a natural actor, she wanted to comprehend her acting tool, to understand her strengths and weaknesses, and work on improving her weaknesses. One of her weaknesses was accents.
She mentioned the struggle of choosing to work on an American accent, ensuring it wouldn’t resemble her Kenyan one. This involved closely observing and understanding her mouth movements to produce new sounds. Using these new sounds in situations outside the classroom felt like disloyalty. She confessed, ‘I didn’t feel like myself, and I shed tears on numerous nights…’ – many, many nights.
Lupita Nyong’o made a significant debut in Hollywood with her Academy Award-winning performance in Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave.” This paved the way for her to star in high-profile studio films like “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (as Maz Kanata through motion capture) and “Black Panther” (as Nakia). More recently, she was seen in Paramount’s “A Quiet Place: Day One,” and is now gracing the screens with her voice-only role in the animated family adventure “The Wild Robot.
Listen to Nyong’o’s full interview on the “What Now? With Trevor Noah” podcast here.
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2024-10-28 18:48