'Not Cute When You're the Second Person': Lupita Nyong'o Reveals She Didn't Want To Repeat Jennifer Lawrence's Oscars Fall
Lupita Nyong'o avoided tripping at the 2014 Oscars, not wanting to repeat Jennifer Lawrence's fall from the previous year.
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Lupita Nyong'o avoided tripping at the 2014 Oscars, saying that It's not cute when you're the second person tripping up the stairs, referring to Jennifer Lawrence's fall the previous year.
During the recent Paramount Pictures x Hollywood Confidential Celebrating Lupita Nyong'o event, the actress opened up to PEOPLE in an exclusive interview about her anxiety leading up to the 2014 Academy Awards.
"I remember worrying about how much fabric I had to hold going up the steps," Nyong'o said. "I was like, 'I can't trip.' Jennifer Lawrence already did that the year before, so it's not cute when you're the second person tripping up the stairs. That's lame."
Reiterating that she "really just didn't want to trip," the star added, "I remember having that fear, and then I remember a throbbing sensation in my whole body. It was just so unbelievable."
Saying she was determined not to stumble, Nyong'o described how she felt at that exact moment when the reality of getting the prestigious award hit her.
Emma Thompson's advice helped Lupita Nyong’o overcome post-Oscar fears
Lupita Nyong'o won the Best Supporting Actress award for 12 Years A Slave in the 2014 Oscars. Speaking about her Academy Awards win, Nyong’o went on to remember what Emma Thompson told her after winning the award.
The actress said that she has heard of the bestowed Oscar curse for the Best Supporting Actress, where after winning, most of them experience poor movie projects, or no good project at all, hence, the fear of getting lost.
While Nyong'o experienced similar results, they were lessened when she met Emma Thompson. “I spoke to her about my fears of failing. And she was the one who encouraged me to go and do what I wanted to do, which was a play on Broadway,” Nyong'o explained.
The actress recalled that Thompson had advised her to live her life on her terms rather than by doing what other people suggested. She stressed the need to strengthen her trade, be true to her navigation system, and always remind herself of her strengths. Nyong'o has her entire life ahead of her, and Thompson counselled her not to live it according to the expectations of others.
Lupita Nyong’o honored at Paramount Pictures x Hollywood confidential for her stellar career post-Oscar win
Since her Oscar-winning role, Lupita Nyong'o has starred in Us, Little Monsters, and Black Panther: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She also leads in A Quiet Place: Day One which came out in theaters in June this year.
This career milestone of Nyong’o was feted at the Los Angeles-based Samuel Goldwyn Theater during the Paramount Pictures x Hollywood Confidential event. Having begun a decade ago, this event series has been a beacon of hope to a generation of hopefuls in Hollywood pioneered by TV and content producer Steve Jones. It includes one-on-one interviews with a few of the most significant voices of colour in the entertainment business.
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