A decade ago, Lupita Nyong’o earned an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her debut role in “12 Years a Slave”. Now at 41, the “A Quiet Place: Day One” star revealed that despite skyrocketing expectations following her win, she has steadfastly followed her own instincts, navigating her career path on her own terms.
“It definitely put the pressure on,” she told People. “It was my first movie, and now I had received what is considered the pinnacle of one’s achievement as an actor. … So there I was like, ‘Okay, what happens now? I can’t afford to fail.”
Amid a flurry of industry suggestions following her Oscar win, Nyong’o was bombarded with career advice. Reflecting on this period, she recounted that the worst advice she received was to conform to others’ expectations rather than trusting her instincts.
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“That I needed to seize the day and do bigger. That the next thing after 12 Years of Slave needed to be a lead role in a blockbuster movie.” She however believed that, “It wasn’t about the size of the role, it’s about the quality of the role, at least for me.”
She revealed that a conversation with fellow Oscar winner Emma Thompson was pivotal. “It really set me straight,” Nyong’o added.
“She said, ‘You have to live your life the way you think is suitable. You have to listen to your own intuition.’ Even up until that point, there was no formula that I followed, so there had to be no formula moving forward,” said Nyong’o.
