Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong‘o has introduced a new podcast, Mind Your Own, where she shares heartfelt stories about her African heritage and its impact on her career. In the debut episode, Lupita opened up about her early struggles with her Kenyan accent and how she felt the need to adopt an American accent to succeed in Hollywood.
Lupita Nyong’o Reclaims Identity
Lupita explained that while attending Hampshire College, she embraced her African accent. However, during her time at Yale School of Drama, she began focusing on perfecting an American accent, believing it would improve her chances in the entertainment industry. She revealed that the lack of African accents in mainstream media further motivated this decision.
Read also:- Alia Bhatt Shares Admiration for Shah Rukh Khan’s Iconic DDLJ Scene with Kajol
Though her efforts succeeded—she once surprised a casting director by speaking without her native accent—the experience left her feeling disconnected from her roots. This prompted Lupita to make a bold decision before the press tour for 12 Years a Slave. She told her publicist that she would be using her natural Kenyan accent moving forward, sending a message that “being an African is enough.”
Nyong’o’s decision was supported by her mother, who reminded her that her accent was a reflection of her life experiences. The actress now proudly refers to her accent as “Lupita,” fully embracing her identity.
In the podcast, Nyong’o discusses how reconnecting with her roots has shaped her recent projects, including her role in The Wild Robot, set to release on September 27, 2024. She shared that her goal with the podcast is to explore the complex feelings of homesickness and identity, and to share the stories of other Africans navigating different worlds, much like her own journey.
Nyong’o, born in Mexico and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, has spent the last 20 years living in the United States. Through her podcast, she hopes to encourage others to embrace their cultural identities, no matter where they are in the world.
