Lupita Nyong’o offered roles in ‘Slave Ship’ after Oscar win for ’12 Years A Slave’

Lupita Nyong’o is getting real about her acting career since winning an Oscar in 2013 for A slave for 12 years.

The acclaimed actress, who won the Academy Award for her captivating performance as the enslaved woman Patsey, told CNN Inside Africa how she only received offers for similar roles but refused to cater to the stereotypes.

“Winning an Academy Award happened at the beginning of my career,” says Nyong’o, 42. “It was the first movie I’d ever done. So it really set the tone for everything I’ve done since. What’s really interesting is that after I won the Academy Award, you’d think, ‘Oh, I’m going to get starring roles here and there.’ But it’s ‘Oh, Lupita. We’d like you to make another movie where you’re a slave, but this time you’re on a slave ship.” Those are the types of offers [I was getting] in the months after winning my Academy Award.”

When others started noticing 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 that she felt aligned with her values. She even called the moment immediately after winning a “very soft time.”

“Something is expected of 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’m not a theory… I’m a real human being. I love being a joyful fighter for changing the paradigms of what it means to be African. If that means working one less job a year to make sure I don’t feed into these stereotypes that are expected of people based on my content stand your ground, then let me do so.”

She continued to star in a number of 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 Queens of Katwewell.

However, Hollywood pressure still reached the Us actress. Last year she told Trevor Noah about his What now? podcast about her unconscious decision to lose her Kenyan accent to appeal to the American film market.

Her plight is a similar experience that many black actors in Hollywood have felt before. With pay disparities and a lack of opportunities, in addition to stereotypical roles, black actors have voiced the struggle for fair and equitable representation in films.

Now more confident in her art and voice, Nyong’o reaffirms her pride in her Kenyan-Mexican identity and face as a Black actress in Hollywood. She will appear on the big screen again in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming blockbuster adaptation The Odyssey.

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