Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o has revealed that her entry into Hollywood, despite being marked by an extraordinary Oscar win, was followed by unexpected challenges that exposed the industry’s narrow expectations for Black actresses, particularly African women.
Speaking in an interview with an international TV station on Saturday, November 22, 2025, Nyong’o reflected on the aftermath of her breakout role in 12 Years a Slave, which earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. While many assumed the accolade would immediately open doors to a wide range of lead roles, Nyong’o said the reality was far more complicated.
“My winning an Academy Award came at the very start of my career. It was for the very first film I had done, so it really set the pace for everything I’ve done since. But what’s interesting is that after I won that Academy Award, you’d think I would get lead roles here and there,” she said.
Instead of enjoying the artistic freedom typically associated with such a monumental achievement, Nyong’o found herself confined by the industry’s typecasting tendencies. Hollywood, she said, continued to see her through the narrow lens of the character she portrayed, a role rooted in trauma and historical suffering.
According to her, major studios repeatedly approached her with offers that echoed the same painful themes. Rather than celebrating her range, the industry attempted to tie her identity to a single narrative.
“Instead, it was more like, ‘Lupita, we’d like you to play another role where you’re a slave, but this time you’re on a slave ship.’ Those were the kinds of offers I was getting in the months after winning my Oscar,” she explained.
Nyong’o said this period was emotionally delicate because it coincided with a wave of public commentary that attempted to define her future before she had the chance to shape it herself. Critics, analysts, and opinion writers published think pieces speculating whether her career had already peaked, often framing her success in the context of her skin tone and African heritage.
“It was a very tender time because the world already had expectations for me and my career,” she added. “There were think pieces asking whether this was the beginning and the end for a dark-skinned African woman in Hollywood. I had to shut out all that noise because, at the end of the day, I’m not a theory, I’m an actual person.”
The actress said she quickly realised that navigating Hollywood would require intention, resilience, and a firm commitment to her values. Rather than accepting roles that reinforced harmful stereotypes, Nyong’o made a conscious choice to prioritise projects that expanded the representation of African and Black women on screen.
Over the years, that resolve has shaped her filmography, allowing her to take on roles in projects such as Black Panther, Us, and Queen of Katwe, films that showcase her depth, versatility, and ability to embody characters beyond the restrictive boxes Hollywood once tried to place her in.
Nyong’o described herself as a “joyful warrior” in the fight to broaden perceptions of African identity, both within Hollywood and in global storytelling. For her, it is essential to challenge outdated industry norms while uplifting stories that reflect the diversity and richness of African experiences.
“I like to be a joyful warrior for changing the paradigms of what it means to be African,” she said. “And if that means working one job less each year to make sure I’m not perpetuating the stereotypes expected of people from my continent, then that’s what I will do.”
For Nyong’o, the journey since her Oscar win has been as much about personal empowerment as it has been about representation. By pushing back against typecasting and redefining her own path, she continues to influence how Hollywood sees and writes for Black women on the global stage.
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