Hollywood star Lupita Nyong’o on why she dropped American accent for Kenyan accent

Award-winning Hollywood star and Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o has opened up on a defining moment in her career when she intentionally decided to revert to her original Kenyan accent which she had masked for several years.

Lupita explained that in order to land more roles in a pool of many stars and actresses in Hollywood, she resolved to sound American and masked her Kenyan accent.

This was the case until on the eve of the press tour for the movie 12 Years a Slave when she made a bold decision to stay true to her roots and pass a strong message to the world.

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“They had never heard me speak in my Kenyan accent,” Lupita recounted while speaking during the first episode of her new podcast ‘Mind Your Own’.

Mother's encouragement and the world embracing Lupita in her real element

She placed a call to her publicists and informed them that she wanted to revert to her original accent and send a message being African was enough. She also consulted her mother, Dorothy Nyong’o on the decision and from then on there was no looking back.

Award-winning Hollywood star and Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o Award-winning Hollywood star and Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o Pulse Live Kenya

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“That gave me solace, that an accent comes to being from your life. And just like skin and hair, it can change and it's okay.” Lupita reflected on the encouragement she received from her mother.

She added that the decision continues to pay off as she has embrace her roots, using her accent that is a representative of her life experience with the world embracing the actress in her true element and for who she is.

“In order to create this podcast, I had to get very comfortable with my voice,” Lupita admitted.

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“I guess this accent is called Lupita! I don't know who could claim it but me.” The actress remarked on her accent that has come to be a part of her being on screen and offscreen.

From Kenya to the world: Lupita Nyong'o's successful career in Hollywood

Born in Mexico to her Kenyan parents, Lupita and her family relocated to Kenya when she was one year old.

She spent her formative years in Kenya, pursing her career in acting in MTV’s Shuga before spectacularly announcing her presence on the global stage with several successful roles that also saw her bag awards and make it to a coveted list of actresses who have been feted at Oscar Awards.

Lupita Nyong'o [Aidan Tanner] Pulse Nigeria

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The accent has been part of her being since then, with Lupita landing roles in blockbuster films in Hollywood including ‘Blank Panther’ and ‘Queen of Katwe’ among many others that have cemented her place among the greats in entertainment.