Lupita Nyong’o spoke at a BFI London Film Festival event on Monday about becoming a certified scream queen, regularly starring in horror films and checking out Dealing with her ongoing grief after the death of Dweck Boseman.
Nyong’o is best known for her role in ” Twelve years a slave, A Quiet Place: Day Oneand black panther On Monday, she spoke at a Screen Talk event alongside Boseman while promoting her new film, wild robot.
When she first saw footage of her character and Boseman’s T’Challa in the 2018 Marvel movie black pantherNyong’o fell silent and became emotional. Seconds later, the Kenyan actress revealed that she had not watched the movie since Boseman’s death from colon cancer in 2020 at the age of 43. she said. She politely refused to move on to the next clip: “No, no…it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to run away from tears or sadness. You just live with it. That experience is never separated from the love that was formed.”
She continued: “I watched the video and I was filled with sadness and I didn’t know if I would ever run out of tears because of the loss of my friend. But I thought, we could see that he was alive. That would be amazing. .
She praised the response to the 2018 film, saying the audience love and response exceeded the cast and crew’s expectations. “There’s a lot of fear, definitely from the executives…Marvel’s boots are a little wobbly!” She added with a laugh: “So are we, because we can only do it once. We have to get it right. But in the end, it” It completely breaks the myth that black can’t be sold.”
Already during the holiday season, black panther Co-star Daniel Kaluuya was also on set to speak about Boseman’s legacy and leadership.
The conversation then turned to Nyong’o’s performance in horror movies little monsterJordan Peele’s usand the most recent quiet place The sequel stars opposite Joseph Queen. “I really prefer scaring people rather than being scared,” she began. “I’m not looking for horror. But I do think horror gives you a lot of room to play. … It allows you to explore emotions that you might otherwise have suppressed: anger, fear, anxiety. I think that’s what’s involved as an actor. The greatness is what attracts people.
She also discussed her “fear of failure” and fear of being typecast after winning an Oscar in 2014 for her first job fresh out of Yale School of Drama. Twelve years a slave. “This is the pinnacle of people’s careers. I was like, ‘Where do I go from here?’ “
“I had never watched the Oscars before I went to drama school. … It was very abstract. The year before I went to the Oscars, I watched the Oscars in my pajamas. It was really surreal. When asked what it meant to be one of 10 black actors to win an acting Oscar, she said, “I had to ignore the racial implications of that for the entire community because I had to take the steps of my life. One step at a time.” Come.
“I was trained to have difficulties as an actor, so when my first job came with all these exponential opportunities, I could feel myself getting nervous.”
Nyong’o voices robot Rozem Wild robots.
Universal Pictures/DreamWorks Animation
The star praises veteran British actor Emma Thompson for encouraging her to return to theater Star Wars: The Force Awakens. “When I was [in London] dedicated to Star WarsI grew closer and closer to Emma Thompson. … She invited me over for dinner and I confided in her. I said, ‘I want to go into theater, but everyone told me to seize the moment, it’s time to get a starring role in a blockbuster film, and that’s what you need to do to secure your place in the industry. But I didn’t understand film as well as theatre, and I felt like I needed to get back into my craft.
“She was the one who encouraged me and told me to be who my spirit wanted me to be. She said, ‘You need to follow your gut. This industry will show up when you’re ready to take the next step.'” she told How she took time off to start a family, which some people advised her not to do… but she was doing well, so she really, really boosted my spirit and my confidence to go back to theater.
The BFI London Film Festival will be held from October 9th to 20th.
