Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o, known for her remarkable performance in 12 Years a Slave, shared her unique post-Oscars journey, highlighting that it did not open up a flood of diverse offers. Instead, she received roles that reflected similar themes.
Post-Oscar Experiences
“It really did set the pace for everything I’ve done since. But you know what’s interesting is that, after I won that Academy Award, you’d think, ‘Oh, I’m gonna get lead roles here and there.’ Instead, it was, ‘Oh, Lupita, we’d like you to play another movie where you’re a slave, but this time you’re on a slave ship,’” Nyong’o said.
The actress discussed this during an interview with Grammy-winning musician Angélique Kidjo on CNN Inside Africa. The opportunities she received in the months following her Oscar win were surprising.
Navigating Challenges
Nyong’o described this period as “a very tender time,” as she had to resist the noise from headlines speculating about her career trajectory.
“There were think pieces about: ‘Is this the beginning and end of this dark-skinned Black African woman’s career?’ I had to deafen myself to all those pontificators because, at the end of the day, I’m not a theory; I’m an actual person,” she reflected.
Expanding African Narratives
Born to Kenyan parents, Nyong’o expressed her desire to broaden African storytelling within the entertainment industry.
“I like to be a joyful warrior for changing the paradigms of what it means to be African,” she said. “And if that means that I work one job less a year to ensure that I’m not perpetuating the stereotypes that are expected of people from my continent, then let me do that.”
Nyong’o was recently featured in The Wild Robot and A Quiet Place: Day One. She will next appear in Lunik Heist.