Lupita Nyong'o is opening up about the aftermath of her Oscar win, and the story she's telling is one many fans and industry watchers say confirms what Black women in Hollywood have been saying for years.
In a recent CNN Inside Africa interview with musician Angélique Kidjo, the 12 Years a Slave star revealed that instead of being offered a wide variety of opportunities following her Academy Award win in 2014, she was repeatedly sent scripts asking her to portray enslaved or suffering Black women. Nyong'o said the pattern wasn't random, either.
"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."
Nyong'o added that alongside the repetitive casting offers, she became the subject of think pieces speculating whether her career would stall, commentary she believes was shaped by both 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 accept roles that reduced African women to pain and suffering, even if it meant turning down 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 emphasized that she wants her body of work to help shift global perceptions of Africa and African women, saying she hopes to be a "joyful warrior" pushing for change.
Nyong'o noted that the offers made her feel boxed in despite her historic win, and fans online echoed her frustration. Many praised her calm but firm delivery and commended her for publicly naming an industry pattern that often goes unacknowledged.
One user wrote, "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 tweeted, "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 reignited conversations about the limited roles available to Black women in Hollywood, even after critical acclaim, and the urgent need for more diverse, fully realized stories that reflect the complexity and joy of African identities.