November 25, 2025
The actress spoke of her stifling role options after winning the coveted award.
Lupita Nyong’o is getting real about her acting career since winning an Oscar in 2013 for 12 Years A Slave.
The acclaimed actress, who won the Academy Award for her captivating performance as enslaved woman Patsey, told CNN Inside Africa about how she only received offers for similar roles yet refused to play into the stereotypes.
“My winning an Academy Award came at the very start of my career,” Nyong’o, 42, said. “It was for the first film I had ever done. So, it really did set the paces for everything I’ve done since. 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.’ But it’s ‘Oh, Lupita. We’d like you to do another movie where you’re a slave, but this time you’re on a slave ship.’ Those are the kinds of offers [I was getting] in the months after winning my Academy Award.”
As others began to notice her name on fewer movie posters, Nyong’o had to block out the noise. She remained adamant about following her heart and mind by choosing roles she felt aligned with her values. She even called the moment immediately after winning a “very tender time.”
“There is an expectation for you and your career,” she continued. “There were think pieces about, is this the beginning or the end of this African woman’s career? I had to deafen myself to all those pontificators because at the end of the day I am not a theory…I am an actual person. I like to be a joyful warrior for changing the paradigms of what it means to be African. If that means I work one less job a year to ensure that I am not perpetuating these stereotypes that are expected of people from my content, then let me do that.”
She still starred in some Blockbuster hits such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Black Panther. However, fans also saw her take on more culturally-enriching roles in films like Queen of Katwe.
However, Hollywood pressure still got to the Us actress. Last year, she told Trevor Noah on his What Now? podcast about her subconscious decision to lose her Kenyan accent to appeal to the American film market.
Her plight is a similar experience many Black actors in Hollywood have felt before. With pay gaps and a lack of opportunities besides stereotypical roles, Black actors have voiced the fight for just and equitable representation in films.
More sure of her art and voice today, Nyong’o is reaffirming her pride in her Kenyan-Mexican identity and face as a Black actress in Hollywood. She will grace the big screen again in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming blockbuster adaptation of The Odyssey.
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