Lupita Nyong’o sits down with That Grape Juice to discuss her upcoming movie, ‘The Wild Robot,’ the challenges of voice acting, and her love of The Lion King.
From the moment that Lupita Nyong’o burst onto the scene in Hollywood with her captivating performance in Steve McQueen’s ‘12 Years a Slave.’ she established herself as one of the most raw and versatile actors in recent years.
As Lupita continues to stamp her legacy on Hollywood, she will next voice the character of Roz in ‘The Wild Robot’ – a heartwarming animation guaranteed to capture the hearts and minds of the audience.
Shipwrecked on a deserted island, a robot named Roz must learn to adapt to its new surroundings. Building relationships with the native animals, Roz soon develops a parental bond with an orphaned gosling.
Check out TGJ’s exclusive interview with Nyong’o.
That Grape Juice (Adam Davidson): What drew you to the character of Roz?
Lupita Nyong’o: I love that Roz was this sophisticated robot that had the innocence of a child. She lands on this island and doesn’t really understand the rules of the world, she doesn’t even know she’s lost, all she knows is that someone purchased her and she needs to find her purpose and I like that. Her journey is one of learning how to be a mother and learning how to be self-determined to go beyond her programming.
That Grape Juice: I was speaking with director Chris Sanders earlier and he said you were the dream voice actor because you had a detailed collaborative process… What was it like to reflect Roz’s arc throughout the movie with the change of voice?
Lupita Nyong’o: Roz moves from emotional ineptitude to emotional intelligence and I really wanted to tell that story through her vocal expression because that’s all I had. Chris had mentioned that why he thought I was right for the part was because he liked the warmth of my voice. So I knew that when she arrived at her motherhood [stage], she would sound more like me.
The beginning was inspired by the AI voices of Alexa and Siri which are a lot more two-dimensional and they are relentlessly optimistic and bright. With those two markers, we knew that her journey will be reflected through the subtle changes of her voice and we worked painstakingly to make that happen.
That Grape Juice: Did you have Alexa and Siri on repeat to perfect your own AI voice?
Lupita Nyong’o: No, Alexa and Siri were the inspiration and then it was about finding my version of that. The good thing about vocal work is that it’s always recorded. I was working on this movie for two and a half years so I was working on other movies in between so whenever I’d go back into the booth I’d have referenced vocals from my work that I could utilize to get right back into it.
That Grape Juice: The Wild Robot is such a beautiful movie. You worked on this for two and a half years but how did it feel to see the finished product for the first time?
Lupita Nyong’o: Working on animation is such an abstract process. During the time I was working on it, they’d always come through with bits and bobs of the animations so I saw sketches and the coloring of it.
I saw the evolution of it but it was all so abstract to me. They’re like magicians… whatever they are doing at Dreamworks is magic! To see the film in its full form with everything integrated was deeply overwhelming. I wept for most of the film at the Toronto [International] Film Festival because it is expansive and you can feel all the artists’ hands that have touched every frame. That along with the incredible score and all the vocal performances working together in symphony was definitely overwhelming and really beautiful.
That Grape Juice: This joins the pantheon of great animated movies… What was your favorite animated movie growing up, or even now?
Lupita Nyong’o: I really loved ‘Peanuts’, Linus Van Pelt was my favorite character in Charlie Brown. I definitely watched that over and over and over again.
Lupita Nyong’o: One of my favorite longer-form animations was ‘The Lion King’, again I watched that over and over again. It has Swahili in it and I’m from Kenya, they got me at that. Then it tells the coming-of-age story of Simba. It pulled at my heartstrings and expanded my imagination.
That Grape Juice: Do you think that’s the power of a great animation when it can pull at the heartstrings? It’s for the whole family but there’s also a maturity to it.
Lupita Nyong’o: Animation has a unique way of allowing us to be emotionally open and vulnerable. There’s something about illustration that does that because somehow it’s removed enough that we give ourselves permission to feel. Animation is also inviting a younger audience, it’s made with a younger audience in mind but, when it’s done well, it doesn’t ignore the older audience as well. I think that perspective of speaking to children allows for a purity of intention that allows us as adults to connect with a part of ourselves that we shield more often.
That Grape Juice: You’ve manipulated your voice in projects like ‘Us’ and ‘Star Wars’… How did this creative challenge compare to ‘The Wild Robot’?
Lupita Nyong’o: It allowed me to stretch myself in a new way. There’s so many versions of robots so that was an intellectual question to begin with, “What kind of robot am I going to be?” Robotics have become so sophisticated that it felt right to do something that felt a little bit more organic but still synthetic.
Vocal work, when it’s such a departure from your own voice, is athletic and actually kind of dangerous. I actually injured myself making this movie, I got a vocal polyp from a session and I had to remain silent for 3 months in order to recover without surgery. It was humbling to do that to myself and just recognize that the voice is a very delicate instrument and has to be dealt with care.
That Grape Juice: Is that like unlike anything you’ve experienced before, a vocal polyp?
Lupita Nyong’o: Yeah, it’s harrowing! I don’t recommend it.
That Grape Juice: Would you be interested in Wild Robot 2 or exploring more of Roz in the future?
Lupita Nyong’o: Sign me up!
