Actor Lupita Nyong'o recently explained that in preparing to play Red in Jordan Peele's Us, she drew from a condition called spasmodic dysphonia. However, some found her statement problematic. Nyong'o has now apologized for linking her performance to the condition.
“I met with people as part of my exploration with the condition, and I learned how difficult it is to have the disorder... It’s a very marginal group of people who suffer from this,” Nyong’o said on The View. “The thought that I would, in a way, offend them was not my intention. In my mind, I wasn’t interested in vilifying or demonizing the condition. I crafted Red with love and care. As much as it [was] in a genre-specific world, I really wanted to ground her in something that felt real. For all that, I say sorry to anyone that I may have offended.”
The actor explained that her performance was a "composite of influences" and that "all of that is very hard to get into a sound bite." She then explained that her mentioning of it was disproportionate to its influence on her final performance and that she hoped "speaking up about it and mentioning it may shed light on the condition.”
RespectAbility, which works to fight stigma against people with disabilities, released a statement on Nyong'o's apology, writing, "We appreciate Lupita Nyong’o’s heartfelt apology." The statement went on to explain the importance of being sensitive to the experiences of marginalized communities and praise Us for "opening up doors, and breaking glass ceilings for people of color."
In theaters now, Us is written, directed and produced by Jordan Peele. The film stars Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Anna Diop, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Kara Hayward, Tim Heidecker and Shahadi Wright Joseph.
(via Huffington Post)