Since winning an Oscar for her performance in Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave,” 2 years ago, Lupita Nyong’o has been a focus of countless so-called *think* pieces, all chastising Hollywood for seemingly failing to recognize her talent by not casting her in plump roles in high profile studio projects – not-so unlike some of her white contemporaries who’ve experienced similar career boosts after early roles that helped gain them the *right* kind of attention – Jennifer Lawrence, Margot Robbie, Alicia Vikander, to name a few.
Some have even wondered whether or not Nyong’o (and her agent/manager) is properly handling her career. Most recently, Vulture/NY Mag published a piece titled “Why Won’t Hollywood Let Us See Our Best Black Actors?” in which writer Kyle Buchanan criticizes the studio machine for not casting Nyong’o in a live-action role that “lets her live in her own black skin” – a nod to the fact that Nyong’o’s recent roles have had her playing “orange alien” Maz Kanata in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and voicing the character of the white wolf Raksha in “The Jungle Book” live-action movie. Although, as the title of the piece suggests, Buchanan’s piece isn’t solely about Nyong’o.
But amid all the media and fan uncertainty, Nyong’o herself has never really talked about what her specific career plans are (has anyone actually asked her what she wants to do?); nor has she given reasons for why she’s accepted the roles she’s taken since “12 Years a Slave.” Although, she really shouldn’t have to, quite frankly, despite how curious we all are, and any truths there are to the lack of opportunities available for black actors/actresses, even those who’ve won top industry awards as well as fans across all demographics. It’s her career. To suggest otherwise is to imply that she’s not capable of making intelligent decisions, which I think we all would find insulting if we were in her position.
The beloved actress is certainly aware of all the attention, and, likely maybe frustrated with it all, she’s finally speaking out, penning an essay that will hopefully put an end to all the speculation about her career as an actress.
In an open letter for Lena Dunham’s Lenny newsletter titled “Why I Chose a ‘Small Play’ Over the Big Screen” – a role she just picked up a Tony Award nomination for by the way – Nyong’o recalls an unpleasant experience with a reporter while doing press for her Broadway play “Eclipsed” (written by Danai Gurira): “Why would such a big star choose to do such a small play?… This question felt quite silly. I mean, I’m an actress; why wouldn’t I want to be in an incredible, gorgeous, meaty piece about the complicated choices of women during wartime? But then it went deeper than that. To me it felt like a question about our value system in this culture, the ways we define success for ourselves as well as others.”
She added: “I think as women, as women of color, as black women, too often we hear about what we ‘need to do’… How we need to behave, what we need to wear, what’s deemed as too much or not enough, the cultural politics of what society considers appropriate for us and for our lives… As an African woman, I am wary of the trap of telling a single story… The chance to appear in ‘Eclipsed’ after winning an Oscar was an opportunity to share in the incredible (and too rare) freedom of playing a fully rendered African woman.”
Nyong’o goes on to share that she turned down several on-screen roles to pursue the lead in “Eclipsed,” stating, and maybe suggesting some of the kinds of roles she’s been offered: “So often women of color are relegated to playing simple tropes: the sidekick, the best friend, the noble savage, or the clown. We are confined to being a simple and symbolic peripheral character — one who doesn’t have her own journey or emotional landscape.”
She goes on to praise the careers of actresses she admires, and maybe seeks to emulate in terms of career trajectory – Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett, and Viola Davis specifically – who she acknowledges for the strength and variety of their choices, defying what the industry expects from them: “What I am learning is that the most important questions you can ask yourself are ‘What do I want?’ and ‘Who do I want to become?’” Nyong’o writes. “Partly because of the conversation the industry has been having about women and racial and cultural representation, I have recently decided to participate more fully in the development of roles I choose in the future… at the moment I am onstage, night after night, with four incredible actresses, telling a powerful story about women who are rarely given a complex rendering. I look at this play — it’s the first play on Broadway to feature an all-woman cast, playwright, and director, and the fact that we are all women of African descent makes it even more incredible — and I feel profound gratitude to be a part of it. I am proud of my decision to take the time to sit with myself and not get caught up in what others want for me.”
Indeed.
She’s certainly not intentionally shying away from high profile studio projects; she’s simply making her own choices, not for us, but for herself: “Of course, I am not opposed to playing lead roles. I don’t want to be overly cautious; I want to take risks, to try my hand at stories that thrill and terrify me… There are some projects coming up for me that I can’t wait to talk about.”
And we can’t wait either!
So can we finally put this entire matter to bed for good? No more *think* pieces; no more speculation; no more projecting.
Look folks, I get it; We all want to see her on the big screen, playing lead, complex, dynamic roles; I understand completely. But ultimately it’s her career; her choices to make, not ours. She has to live with them; we don’t. I’m not worried about Lupita Nyong’o. She’ll be just fine one way or the other. If you’re in New York, go see “Eclipsed” on Broadway; it’s a limited engagement ending in June. Celebrate the work she’s given us, and don’t lament the seeming lack of work that we want or expect to see her in. This fall, she co-stars in Mira Nair’s “The Queen of Katwe,” which opens September 23 in limited release; a potential awards season favorite given the talent involved.
Read her full open letter here.
