Lupita Nyong’o Says Hollywood Tried to Box Her Into Slave Roles After Oscar Win

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Lupita Nyong’o is sharing her experiences after winning an Oscar, revealing the challenges she faced and highlighting how few opportunities Hollywood sometimes offers even to celebrated actors.

She said she hoped winning the award would lead to more opportunities in her career.

Despite winning an Academy Award, Lupita Nyong’o continued to receive similar acting offers. She realized many people still wanted her to play characters related to slavery. As she explained, people would approach her with roles like, “We want you to play a slave again, but this time on a ship.”

She explained that after her major win, she was flooded with similar proposals for months. Around the same time, she also saw articles that doubted her future success. She noted that some articles even speculated whether her moment in the spotlight was already ending, simply because of her race and skin tone as a Black African woman.

She described how difficult it was to cope with the constant chatter, explaining that she had to tune everyone out. She emphasized that she wasn’t interested in abstract ideas or opinions – she was a real person with her own feelings and experiences.

Lupita explained she’s committed to shifting how African people are portrayed in film and television. She’s even prepared to take on fewer roles if it means avoiding harmful, outdated stereotypes.

She wants to challenge and redefine how people view Africans, and is willing to prioritize that over having a traditional career. She explained that she’s happy to take on fewer jobs if it means she isn’t reinforcing harmful stereotypes about her continent.

Lupita Nyong’o’s Oscar win was a landmark achievement. She received significant recognition for her role in 12 Years a Slave, with nominations from the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and Screen Actors Guild, ultimately winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

She made history as only the sixth Black actress and the second African actress to win the award. She was also the first Kenyan and Mexican actress to ever receive an Oscar. People still rave about her stunning blue Prada gown from that memorable night.

Despite attempts by Hollywood to limit her to certain types of roles after winning an award, she continued to seek out diverse characters. One of her first projects after the win was Star Wars: The Force Awakens, in which she portrayed Maz Kanata using motion-capture technology.

She took on the role because it wasn’t based on how she looked, which was a welcome change from previous parts she’d played. She’s also been cast in Christopher Nolan’s new movie, The Odyssey, which is scheduled for release in 2026.

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2025-11-24 11:14