Lupita Nyongo: Western beauty standards are things that affect the entire world
Lupita Nyong’o covers the new issues of Elle UK & Essence, but unlike her Rhapsody cover story, this one does not include a story about Ralph Fiennes telling her to shut up. Just know: I am still Team Lupita. Really, I am. I love her. I think she’s lovely and talented. But after reading three magazine cover interviews with her in a 24-hour period, I’m finding her slightly annoying. She complains about fame and media attention consistently, because… she agreed to do three magazine covers in one month just to promote a small CGI part in Star Wars? Thankfully, she says some interesting stuff about race and representation. Some highlights from Essence & Elle UK:
On fame: “I don’t think being conspicuous is a state we’re supposed to live in, or at least not permanently. I wish there was a dial we could turn up and down. And in a sense I can, by making very deliberate choices about what I do and when and how, and with whom.”
On beauty & representation: “If you turn on the television and you are not represented on that television, you become invisible to yourself. And there was very little of myself that I saw on TV, or in the movies that I was watching, or in magazines that were lying around the salons or around the house. And so these are subconscious things. Yes, Western beauty standards are things that affect the entire world. And then what happens? You’re a society that doesn’t value darker skin.”
Spending years of her childhood in Mexico: “People would stop and take pictures of us just because we were black. It was a time during that tricky adolescent phase when you’re coming into yourself and you’re trying to pave your own way but you’re insecure about where you lie. It devastated me.”
Getting the part in Star Wars: “I was on the way to the beach and all of sudden J.J.’s on the phone. I asked to see the script and they flew someone to Morocco with the script so I could read it. I was immediately interested in the character. I like to get lost in the transformation and I felt like this character would offer me that… I can say that she’s strong and has a colorful past and that’s it before they shoot me down.”
[From E! News & The Daily Mail]
The discussion about representation is so important, and I applaud Lupita for consistently talking about it over the years. I do feel that the “representation” discussion is often folded into the discussion about increasing the number of roles for women in film, that magically, if we simply have more female-driven projects, the amount of racial diversity will increase. When really… that’s not the case.
Meanwhile, did you hear this story about Lupita’s CGI role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens? British sources claim that JJ Abrams has significantly cut down Lupita’s role because he was “not impressed” with her work, and he had Lupita’s voice work re-recorded. Sources blame Lupita’s discomfort with the CGI aspect of the work, and they say “There was a general sense that something wasn’t working so a lot of her scenes ended up being either re-worked or cut. Unfortunately she just didn’t end up delivering. It does happen in Hollywood, but not usually with Academy Award winners. Her part in the final film will now be a lot smaller than was initially expected.” Huh. Does this feel funny to anyone else?
Covers courtesy of Elle UK & Essence.
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