The talented actress from ‘Black Panther’ was honored at an event on June 14, celebrating the 10th anniversary of her Oscar win and her role in ‘A Quiet Place: Day One.’
Lupita Nyong’o has put out an open call to Hollywood casting directors.
On Friday, June 14, Paramount Pictures and Hollywood Confidential celebrated the Oscar-winning actress, 41, for her stellar work in film and television at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Los Angeles.
Nyong’o’s work is varied and impressive. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2014 for her role in ’12 Years a Slave,’ played a spy and love interest in ‘Black Panther,’ and starred in horror films like Jordan Peele’s ‘Us.’ But there’s one type of movie she’s itching to do next.
‘Please tell everybody I’m looking for the rom-com,’ she announced. ‘I am here. I’m taking calls. Listen, if I need to audition, I’ll do it. I’m dying to do a comedy. Dying to do a comedy.’
The Emmy winner is taking matters into her own hands by posting funny videos of herself and her cat to showcase her lighter side.
‘I’m trying to tell these executives that I’m funny and that I can be lighthearted and light-footed,’ Nyong’o added. ‘But I do have more dramatic roles than light ones, so someone just has to take a chance on me. So consider this my open application.’
For now, Nyong’o is continuing in the horror genre, starring in the prequel ‘A Quiet Place: Day One.’ She had high praise for the imaginative world created by the franchise’s creator, John Krasinski.
‘I was very honored to get offered this role because I think it is a very innovative world that John Krasinski created,’ she said of ‘The Office’ star, who directed the first ‘Quiet Place’ movie. ‘It’s a fun, tense world.’
Nyong’o compares the world of ‘A Quiet Place,’ with its alien invasions and chase sequences, to childhood games.
‘Like the floor is lava. You commit to that context and you go for it,’ she explained. ‘Imagine a world where you have to stay quiet to survive. It’s exciting to be in that hyper-imaginative world.’
She also praised her co-star, ‘Stranger Things’ alum Joseph Quinn.
‘We quickly found a rhythm together, and it was always surprising and fun,’ she added. ‘It was a wonderful match when it comes to our chemistry.’
‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ diverges from its predecessor by setting the story amidst the chaos of New York City during the initial alien invasion, rather than on a secluded farm.
‘I think this movie is an homage to New York,’ Nyong’o said. ‘It is a reminder of how amazing and valuable it is to come together to watch a movie.’
‘That cinematic experience — you can’t trade it,’ she added. ‘Watching a movie at home is fine, but this film is made for an immersive cinematic experience. There’s nothing as satisfying as a shared, cathartic experience in a theater.’
Created by TV and content producer Steve Jones, who has worked with Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, and Jennifer Lopez, the Hollywood Confidential event series has inspired and empowered the next generation of actors, writers, producers, and directors of color for the last decade.
Nyong’o joined a list of past honorees for their cultural impact, including Regina King, Angela Bassett, Tabitha Brown, Issa Rae, Snoop Dogg, and Sterling K. Brown.
