Lupita Nyong’o Prefers Playing Wolves And Aliens Over The Sidekick Or Wife

Academy Award winning actress Lupita Nyong’o decided to contribute in Lena Dunham’s weekly feminist newsletter, Lenny Letter, mainly to respond to a reporter who asked her, “Why would such a big star choose to do such a small play?” about her role in the Broadway play "Eclipse."

Leaving aside the fact that a Broadway play is not something small, and the fact that Nyong’o got nominated for a Tony, the actress gracefully responded that she had chosen to do it because she wants “to play good roles.”

But Nyong’o also decided to go in-depth about her process of choosing roles, which she says is also influenced by some of the actors she most admires, “If I’m ever in doubt, I envision the career choices of artists I admire, like Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett, and Viola Davis.”

The actress continued explaining the importance she sees in inspiring other women of color. “So often women of color are relegated to playing simple tropes: the sidekick, the best friend, the noble savage, or the clown,” she wrote in her edition of Lenny Letter. “I think sometimes a singular catharsis can be found in genre storytelling — as I found when playing a thousand-year-old woman (Maz Kanata in Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and a wolf mother (Raksha in The Jungle Book),” she added. “I’m able to be more engaged in roles such as those than I would be in playing 'the wife' when she is written with no motivation or singularity.”

This is how the actress also implied that the fact that she chose a role of the sort should not have to be questioned.

In addition, she spoke about her experience of getting on the stage and seeing so many different faces. “I look out at the diverse audiences who come to full houses and experience our performances, and feel proud of being a part of sharing this important story with the world,” she explained.

“I see a work of incredible power that is transforming lives by daring to offer women of color fully rendered narratives, and I feel so lucky to be a part of it,” Nyong’o added. “I look at this play and see nothing about it that is ‘small.’”