At the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, Lupita Nyong’o attended the premiere of her latest film, “The Wild Robot,” an animated feature from DreamWorks. In the film, Nyong’o voices Roz, a shipwrecked robot who finds herself on a wild island, tasked with raising a newly hatched duckling. The film explores Roz’s journey of motherhood and adaptation in unfamiliar surroundings.
Nyong’o, in an interview with The Washington Post, shared how she deeply connected with Roz’s maternal role. “For me, it was about understanding that a parent’s job — a mother’s job — is to prepare her child to leave,” she said. Reflecting on her own life, Nyong’o recalled her parents sending her to Mexico at 16. “I didn’t realize then how hard it must have been for them to let me go, but they trusted in their parenting.”
Having spent part of her teenage years in Mexico, Nyong’o drew parallels between her personal experiences and Roz’s journey. “I felt very foreign when I lived in Mexico,” she told NBC News. “But I learned to adapt to my environment while staying true to myself.” This sense of navigating a new world mirrors Roz’s journey on the island as she learns to survive and thrive in an unfamiliar place.
“The Wild Robot” also marked a new chapter in Nyong’o’s career, being her first lead role in an animated film. She embraced the vocal challenge, noting how Roz’s robotic voice evolved throughout the story. However, the process took a physical toll, and Nyong’o revealed she temporarily damaged her vocal cords. Despite this, she expressed excitement about the film and its heartfelt message, urging fans to see it on the big screen.
Recent Comments