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Lupita Nyong'o Launches New Podcast; Reveals How She Reclaimed Her Kenyan Identity On Debut Episode: 'Being An African Is Enough'
On her newly launched podcast on September 19, Lupita Nyong’o discussed her decision to hide her Kenyan accent early in her career and shared how she ultimately reclaimed her cultural roots.
Lupita Nyong’o has launched her own podcast, Mind Your Own, where the 41-year-old Oscar winner shares heartfelt insights about her African heritage and its significance in her career. On the inaugural episode of her audio show, the actress recalled having a complicated relationship with her authentic accent and voice, which would give away her identity as an African. Nyong'o said she felt like it would hinder her journey in showbiz, so she decided to get rid of it and embraced an American accent for a while before feeling guilty about detaching herself from who she really was.
She detailed that although she embraced her African accent while at Massachusetts’ Hampshire College, things changed when she joined the Yale School of Drama to pursue acting. This is when Nyong’o recalled that she decided to dedicate more time to mastering her American accent, as she felt it would boost her chances in the film industry. She revealed during her podcast that the lack of representation of African accents on screen pushed her to make the call.
Nyong’o’s efforts paid off when a casting director was astonished to learn of her Kenyan descent, as she had no accent. The moment, however, did not bring as much joy to her as she thought it would. Instead, she felt a mix of elation and disappointment, as she had rid herself of her roots.
The feeling drove the Star Wars actress to call her publicists before starting the press tour for 2014’s 12 Years a Slave, a feature film she scored immediately after graduating from Yale. Nyong’o recalled that she told her PR team, starting the very next day, “I am going to return to my original accent. I want to send a message that being an African is enough.” The actress added that her promoters, until that point, had never heard her speak in a Kenyan accent.
Nyong’o also got a pat on the back for reembracing her cultural identity from her mom, who told her, “Your accent is representative of your life experiences.” The actress said her mother doubling down on her decision gave her solace.
Nyong’o added that she now calls her accent Lupita because she has completely laid claim to it.
Nyong’o has since used her distinct speech in multiple projects, including playing Maz Kanata in the Star Wars franchise and The Wild Robot. Her upcoming film The Wild Robot, which also features the voices of Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Mark Hamill, and Catherine O’Hara, will be out in theaters on September 27.
Lupita Nyong’o, who was born in Mexico and spent her formative years in Nairobi, Kenya, has lived in the United States for two decades. Despite this, she mentioned in her podcast episode that she needed to become comfortable with her own voice to launch the show.
In the promotional video, she explained that she created the podcast to address her feelings of homesickness and to hear stories from other Africans navigating multiple worlds, much like her own experience.
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