Lupita Nyong'o spoke about how she became a certified scream queen with frequent appearances in horror films and addressed her lingering grief following the death of Chadwick Boseman during a BFI London Film Festival event on Monday.
Nyong'o, best known for her roles in 12 Years a Slave, A quiet place: first dayAND Black Panther along with Boseman, spoke at a Screen Talk event Monday while promoting his new film, The wild robot.
When a clip of his character and Boseman's T'Challa was first shown in the 2018 Marvel film Black PantherNyong'o remained silent and became emotional. After a few seconds, the Kenyan actress revealed that she hadn't watched the film since Boseman's death from colon cancer at age 43 in 2020. “Pain is love, and there's no place to put it” , he said. He politely declined to move on to the next clip: “No, no… that's fine. I don't want to run away from tears or pain. You just live with it. That experience will never be separated from the love that was formed.”
She continued: “I watch this clip and I'm filled with pain and I don't know if I'll ever be done shedding tears over losing my friend. But I think we'll see him alive. And it's so wonderful.
He praised the reaction to the 2018 film, noting how the love and reception exceeded the cast and crew's expectations. “There was a lot of fear, certainly on the part of the executives…Marvel was shaking in their boots a little!” she laughed, adding, “We were too because we were like, we can only do this once. And we have to do it well. But in the end, he “completely shattered the myth that black doesn't sell.”
At the beginning of the party, Black Panther Co-star Daniel Kaluuya also spoke about Boseman's legacy and leadership on set.
Nyong'o voices the robot Rozem The wild robot.
Universal Pictures/DreamWorks Animation
Next, the conversation turned to Nyong'o's appearances in horror films Little monstersBy Jordan Peele Usas well as the most recent A quiet place sequel with Joseph Quinn. “I really would much rather scare than be scared,” she began. “It's not so much that I go looking for horror. But I think horror movies give you a lot of room to play. … It allows you to explore emotions you would otherwise repress: anger, fear, anxiety. I think that's the beauty of being an actor in them and also what attracts people.
She also touched on her “fear of failure” and being portrayed after her 2014 Oscar win with her first job, fresh out of Yale drama school, in 12 Years a Slave. “This is the pinnacle of people's careers. I thought, 'where should I go from here?'
“Before I went to drama school, I had never watched the Oscars. … It was abstract. The year before the Academy Awards, I was in my pajamas watching the Academy Awards. It was truly surreal.” When asked what it meant to be just one of 10 actors to win an acting Oscar, she said, “I had to ignore the racial significance of what it means to an entire community of people, because I had to live my life step by step.” step by step.” take a step.”
“I was trained to expect to struggle as an actor, so when my first job came along with all these exponential opportunities, I could feel myself tightening up.”
The star credited none other than veteran British actress Emma Thompson for encouraging her to return to the theatre Star Wars: The Force Awakens. “While I was [in London] working on Star WarsI had become close to Emma Thompson. …She invited me to dinner and I confided in her. I said, “I want to go and do theater, but everyone tells me to seize the day and this is the time to get a lead role in a big hit movie, and that's what you need to do to secure your spot.” in the sector”. . But I don't know cinema like I know theater and I feel the need to recommit myself to my profession.'
“And she was the one who encouraged me and told me to do exactly what my spirit wanted me to do. He said, “You have to follow your intuition.” This industry will be there when you're ready to take the next step.' She told me how she took time off to start a family and that some people advised her not to… And she's doing great. So it really, really, strengthened my spirit and my confidence to go back to the theater.
The BFI London Film Festival runs from 9 to 20 October.