Lupita Nyong’o doesn’t want to be "imprisoned" by fame.
The ’12 Years A Slave’ star admits it can sometimes being a "little weird" to think that people have such a "familiarity" with her, despite having never met her.
Speaking to Allure magazine’s Culture of Hair issue, she said: "What fame does is there is an illusion of familiarity that is cast into the world. So it’s about negotiating with that illusion because oftentimes you encounter people who have encountered you, but you haven’t encountered them. It’s a little weird to find your footing. I have to be aware of that possibility, not imprisoned by it. It’s like, how do I find freedom within that awareness?"
It comes after Lupita revealed she has become "more familiar" with herself and Hollywood over the last three years.
She explained: "I am more familiar with [this world]. I have my likes and dislikes. I know when I am spreading myself too thin. Now I know how many hours I need to sleep. I feel very privileged. [My career] has given me the luxury of choice; I get to choose and work on things I can’t stop thinking about. That is how I choose a project – if I read the script and after I leave it, the character lingers in my head. If I am not terrified of the character, then it is probably not for me."
And Lupita feels she has a responsibility to promote ethnic diversity in Hollywood.
She explained: "Films inspire people to feel differently. A lot more can be done. We can be more empathetic when we realise how much more alike we are than how different we are. You see, I don’t like to fight the reality. The reason it is so acute is because of the stage we are at. When we are talking about inclusion in entertainment, it’s because entertainment isn’t inclusive and, until such a time as that becomes the norm, then this work has to be done … I feel an impetus to say something because this is a conversation that very directly affects me, and my career, and my role in the world. But I don’t belabour it."
Lupita Nyong’o’s fame fear
