Lupita Nyong’o is shedding light on what happened after her Oscar win — and what she describes echoes a reality many Black women in Hollywood have been calling out for years.
In a recent CNN Inside Africa interview with musician Angélique Kidjo, the 12 Years a Slave star revealed that instead of being met with a range of new opportunities after her 2014 Academy Award, she kept receiving scripts asking her to play enslaved or suffering Black women. Nyong’o said the pattern was far from accidental.
“After I won that Academy Award, you’d think, ‘I’m gonna get lead roles here and there,'” she said. “[They’re like], ‘Oh, Lupita, we’d like you to play another movie where you’re a slave, but this time you’re on a slave ship.’ Those are the kind of offers I was getting in the months after winning my Academy Award.”
She added that, alongside the repetitive roles, she became the subject of think pieces questioning whether her career would stall — commentary she believes was steeped in racism and colorism.
“There were think pieces of ‘Is this the beginning and end of this dark-skinned Black African woman’s career?’ I had to deafen myself to all these pontificators because, at the end of the day, I’m not a theory. I’m an actual person.”
The actress said she refused to take roles that reduced African women to pain and suffering — even if it meant sacrificing work. “If that means I work one job less a year to ensure that I’m not perpetuating the stereotypes that are expected of people from my continent, then let me do that.”
She stressed that she wants her filmography to help shift how the world views Africa and African women, calling her mission that of a “joyful warrior” pushing for meaningful change.
Nyong’o explained that the offers left her feeling boxed in, despite her historic Oscar win, and fans online shared her frustration. Many applauded her measured yet unwavering honesty and praised her for openly naming a Hollywood pattern that often goes unaddressed.
One user commented, “Hearing this from someone as accomplished as Lupita really shows how deep the industry biases still run. Takes a lot of strength to turn down ‘easy’ roles and choose the ones that actually move the culture forward. Massive respect for how she protects her craft and her identity.”
Another wrote, “I’m very proud of Lupita for standing up for Africans and maintaining her dignity in a racist industry. She’s also spoken about refusing sexual advances by Hollywood power brokers to further her career. This should prove you can still make it without selling yourself out.”
Nyong’o’s interview has reignited discussions about how few expansive roles Black women are offered in Hollywood — even after major accolades — and the ongoing need for richer, more nuanced stories that capture the full complexity, beauty, and joy of African identities.
