Lupita Nyong’o.Photo: David Livingston/Getty ImagesLupita Nyong’owas just as taken aback as everyone else watching the 94thAcademy Awards.In a new cover interview forThe Hollywood Reporter, theBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreveractress recalls the moment at March’s Oscars whenWill Smithwalked onstage and slappedChris Rockin the face, after the comedian made a joke about the actor’s wifeJada Pinkett Smith.And considering Nyong’o, 39, was seated right behind the couple in the audience, “I knew as soon as it was over that I was going to be a meme,” she said.Photos of Nyong’o that went viral show the Oscar-winning actress looking on in shock after first seeming unsure about how to respond to the slap.“Once the moment was over, I realized, ‘Oh my God, there’s no way all this transpired and I’m not in the shot,’ " Nyong’o toldTHRafter being asked what seeing the incident unfold in person was like. “I don’t want to add any more fuel to that thing, quite frankly.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.Will Smith and Lupita Nyong’o at the 2022 Oscars.During the March 27 ceremony, Will, 54, left his seat to go onstage and hit Rock, 57, over a joke the latter made about Jada’s shaved head. (The actress, 51, lives with alopecia.)Will, who later won Best Actor, said in a statement the following day thatthe punchline was “too much for me to bear"and he “reacted emotionally.“He has since apologized to Rock multiple times andresigned from the Academyof Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, whichbanned him from attending its events for 10 years.Will is making hismovie return in the upcoming dramaEmancipation, which is eligible for the next awards season cycle.Lupita Nyong’o on the cover ofThe Hollywood Reporter.Christian Cody for The Hollywood ReporterAs for Nyong’o, she is gearing up for the release of the highly anticipated sequel to 2018’sBlack Panther, which will go on without its original hero,Chadwick Boseman.“He affected how I move in the world,” she toldTHRof her late costar, whodied in August 2020at the age of 43 after a private battle with colon cancer.“But that’s the thing about Chadwick. Chadwick wasn’t trying to have everyone be like him. What he inspired was you to be your best self,” Nyong’o continued.She added, “So how I’m going to lead a set is nowhere near — I’m not that person. I’m not Chadwick at all. I’ll never be.“Black Panther: Wakanda Foreveris in theaters Nov. 11.
Lupita Nyong’o.Photo: David Livingston/Getty Images
Lupita Nyong’owas just as taken aback as everyone else watching the 94thAcademy Awards.In a new cover interview forThe Hollywood Reporter, theBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreveractress recalls the moment at March’s Oscars whenWill Smithwalked onstage and slappedChris Rockin the face, after the comedian made a joke about the actor’s wifeJada Pinkett Smith.And considering Nyong’o, 39, was seated right behind the couple in the audience, “I knew as soon as it was over that I was going to be a meme,” she said.Photos of Nyong’o that went viral show the Oscar-winning actress looking on in shock after first seeming unsure about how to respond to the slap.“Once the moment was over, I realized, ‘Oh my God, there’s no way all this transpired and I’m not in the shot,’ " Nyong’o toldTHRafter being asked what seeing the incident unfold in person was like. “I don’t want to add any more fuel to that thing, quite frankly.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.Will Smith and Lupita Nyong’o at the 2022 Oscars.During the March 27 ceremony, Will, 54, left his seat to go onstage and hit Rock, 57, over a joke the latter made about Jada’s shaved head. (The actress, 51, lives with alopecia.)Will, who later won Best Actor, said in a statement the following day thatthe punchline was “too much for me to bear"and he “reacted emotionally.“He has since apologized to Rock multiple times andresigned from the Academyof Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, whichbanned him from attending its events for 10 years.Will is making hismovie return in the upcoming dramaEmancipation, which is eligible for the next awards season cycle.Lupita Nyong’o on the cover ofThe Hollywood Reporter.Christian Cody for The Hollywood ReporterAs for Nyong’o, she is gearing up for the release of the highly anticipated sequel to 2018’sBlack Panther, which will go on without its original hero,Chadwick Boseman.“He affected how I move in the world,” she toldTHRof her late costar, whodied in August 2020at the age of 43 after a private battle with colon cancer.“But that’s the thing about Chadwick. Chadwick wasn’t trying to have everyone be like him. What he inspired was you to be your best self,” Nyong’o continued.She added, “So how I’m going to lead a set is nowhere near — I’m not that person. I’m not Chadwick at all. I’ll never be.“Black Panther: Wakanda Foreveris in theaters Nov. 11.
Lupita Nyong’owas just as taken aback as everyone else watching the 94thAcademy Awards.
In a new cover interview forThe Hollywood Reporter, theBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreveractress recalls the moment at March’s Oscars whenWill Smithwalked onstage and slappedChris Rockin the face, after the comedian made a joke about the actor’s wifeJada Pinkett Smith.
And considering Nyong’o, 39, was seated right behind the couple in the audience, “I knew as soon as it was over that I was going to be a meme,” she said.
Photos of Nyong’o that went viral show the Oscar-winning actress looking on in shock after first seeming unsure about how to respond to the slap.
“Once the moment was over, I realized, ‘Oh my God, there’s no way all this transpired and I’m not in the shot,’ " Nyong’o toldTHRafter being asked what seeing the incident unfold in person was like. “I don’t want to add any more fuel to that thing, quite frankly.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
Will Smith and Lupita Nyong’o at the 2022 Oscars.
During the March 27 ceremony, Will, 54, left his seat to go onstage and hit Rock, 57, over a joke the latter made about Jada’s shaved head. (The actress, 51, lives with alopecia.)
Will, who later won Best Actor, said in a statement the following day thatthe punchline was “too much for me to bear"and he “reacted emotionally.”
He has since apologized to Rock multiple times andresigned from the Academyof Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, whichbanned him from attending its events for 10 years.
Will is making hismovie return in the upcoming dramaEmancipation, which is eligible for the next awards season cycle.
Lupita Nyong’o on the cover ofThe Hollywood Reporter.Christian Cody for The Hollywood Reporter
As for Nyong’o, she is gearing up for the release of the highly anticipated sequel to 2018’sBlack Panther, which will go on without its original hero,Chadwick Boseman.
“He affected how I move in the world,” she toldTHRof her late costar, whodied in August 2020at the age of 43 after a private battle with colon cancer.
“But that’s the thing about Chadwick. Chadwick wasn’t trying to have everyone be like him. What he inspired was you to be your best self,” Nyong’o continued.
She added, “So how I’m going to lead a set is nowhere near — I’m not that person. I’m not Chadwick at all. I’ll never be.”
Black Panther: Wakanda Foreveris in theaters Nov. 11.
source: people.com
