*Lupita Nyong’o faced some harsh criticism last week over the voice she adopted for her sinister role in Jordan Peele’s “Us.”
As reported by vibe.com, the Oscar-winning actress previously stated that the evil voice, which was altered to sound broken and unrecognizable, was inspired by the neurological disorder, Spasmodic Dysphonia. Specifically she said she had taken a cue from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who had voice spasms as a result of the disorder.
After taking some heat for “mocking” the disorder, Nyong’o has now issued an apology.
“The thought that I would, in a way, offend them was not my intention,” Nyong’o said during a visit to “The View” on March 28. “In my mind, I wasn’t interested in vilifying or demonizing the condition. I crafted Red with love and care.”
OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: NAACP Commemorates 400 Years of African Diaspora in Jamestown to Jamestown/America to Africa Event
Lupita Nyong’O has definitely handled this situation A LOT better than most of her contemporaries would have. I applaud her. pic.twitter.com/gNywnuIpx6
— THE CHAMPAGNE GODDESS (@saintdeyves) April 1, 2019
Nyong’o’s apology arrives after the National Spasmodic Dysphonia Association (NSDA) released a statement criticizing the her voice. Following her apology, the NSDA responded.
“We thank Ms. Nyong’o for her efforts to bring attention to this rare neurological voice disorder and appreciate her intention was to help our cause. Since learning of the movie’s release, the NSDA’s goal has remained the same, to educate and raise awareness about spasmodic dysphonia and its challenges in a positive way. This has been an opportunity to expose a much larger population to the impact of this voice disorder,” shared NSDA Executive Director Kimberly Kuman.
Scroll up and watch Lupita’s full statement in the video above.
In related news, the “12 Years a Slave” star has released a children’s book titled “Sulwe,” and she hit up Twitter to announce the project.
“I wrote a book called #Sulwe! This is the cover, illustrated by @VashtiHarrison! Available for pre-order now & out Oct 1,” she said, adding a link to buy the book.
“I wrote Sulwe to inspire children (and everyone really!) to love the skin they are in & to see the beauty that radiates from within,” she added.
I wrote a book called #Sulwe! This is the cover, illustrated by @VashtiHarrison! Available for pre-order now & out Oct 1 ➡️https://t.co/O04OLMf5XX
I wrote Sulwe to inspire children (and everyone really!) to love the skin they are in & to see the beauty that radiates from within. pic.twitter.com/z0gpC2neOX— Lupita Nyong’o (@Lupita_Nyongo) April 1, 2019
