Lupita Nyong'o reveals the career advice that Emma Thompson gave her: 'She did save my life'
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Lupita Nyong'o has never forgotten the sense and sensibility that Emma Thompson instilled in her when she first burst into the industry.
The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star told The Hollywood Reporter that she was often encouraged by fellow actors to "strike now" after winning an Academy Award in 2014 for 12 Years a Slave. Instead of rushing into another role, Nyong'o said that Thompson — whom she met on the awards circuit — advised that she take her time when it came to any major career decisions.
"She invited me over, and I went to dinner with her, and she totally demystified all of that," Nyong'o told the outlet. "She did save my life. I had won this huge award, and my imposter syndrome was at an all-time high. I was so intimidated by this new platform that I seemed to have. I mean, I acted in one film. I didn't even know what the 'martini shot' was, for crying out loud."
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic; Dave J Hogan/Getty Images Lupita Nyong'o and Emma Thompson
Thompson reminded Nyong'o that there's no time limit on one's acting career. "She told me that she quit acting for over eight years at some point, and everybody told her that she would never be able to come back to it, and she did," Nyong'o said. "She encouraged me to do what I thought was best for my instrument."
The advice gave Nyong'o the push to step away from the glitz and glamor of Hollywood and take a role in her then-future Black Panther costar Danai Gurira's play Eclipsed on Broadway. Nyong'o was later nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in 2016.
"My first place where I cut my teeth was in the theater, and I wanted to touch base with that because I knew how to do that, and it really, really helped me," she shared. "It helped me rededicate myself to the work of acting because I was so disillusioned by it."
She added, "The awards circuit is so far away from the work. Becoming a celebrity, that's a whole other job than being an actor. I needed to get back to what got me here in the first place, and the theater did that for me."
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