Lupita Nyong’o recently explained her decision to return to using her Kenyan accent after masking it for years in Hollywood.

Early in her career, she felt pressured to adopt an American accent to increase her chances of landing roles, particularly when attending the Yale School of Drama, where she believed there was little room for African accents in film and television.

After intense voice training, she mastered the American accent, and while this opened doors, it left her feeling like she had lost part of herself. However, in 2014, during the promotion of 12 Years a Slave, Lupita made the bold decision to embrace her Kenyan accent once again.

She wanted to make a statement that being African was enough and to honor her roots. Her mother supported this choice, reassuring her that an accent reflects one’s life experiences and can evolve just like other aspects of identity. Lupita now affectionately refers to her accent as uniquely her own, reflecting her journey and heritage.