Lupita Nyong’o has become "more familiar" with herself and Hollywood over the last three years.
The ’12 Years A Slave’ star has learned a lot about herself since she catapulted to fame.
She said: "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."
And the 34-year-old actress feels "very privileged" that her fame has allowed her to choose what she wants to work on.
She added: "I feel very privileged. It 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."
Lupita also dispelled the myth she is very reserved and serious, insisting she is just "thoughtful".
She told The Sunday Times’ Style magazine: "I don’t think of myself as serious. Thoughtful, perhaps, yes. I think, oftentimes, when I’m talking to the world through magazines, it’s with strangers. When I’m comfortable, I can be silly."
It comes after Lupita revealed she feels as though 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 big learning curve
