Warning: Minor spoilers for A Quiet Place: Day One lie ahead.
Lupita Nyong’o has delivered numerous defining roles since her Oscar-winning role in 12 Years a Slave, which marked her feature film debut. As a whole, she’s been celebrated for her powerful performances and captivating on-screen presence. Recently, she shared insights into her emotional journey while filming the recently released thriller A Quiet Place: Day One. The actress revealed that the experience was unexpectedly “therapeutic,” as it helped her cope with the heartbreaking passing of Chadwick Boseman, her friend and Black Panther co-star.
The actress’ connection with the late Chadwick Boseman was profound, both on and off the screen. His sudden passing in 2020 from colon cancer left a deep void in the hearts of fans and colleagues alike. In a recent interview with People, Lupita Nyong’o shared how the filming process for A Quiet Place: Day One helped her navigate through her grief. She shared:
In the end, it was actually very therapeutic because I had just experienced not too many years ago the death of Chadwick Boseman, which shook me to my core. I definitely was thinking about that a lot.
The Us actress had a profoundly moving experience taking on the role of a woman battling an illness in A Quiet Place: Day One. In the new sci-fi thriller, the 41-year-old star steps into the shoes of Sam, a poet grappling with terminal cancer while simultaneously fending off an invasion of sound-sensitive aliens (who we have questions about).
The story begins with Sam in hospice care, surrounded by fellow patients and her beloved cat, Frodo. It’s a role that resonated deeply with Lupita Nyong’o and held significant personal meaning for her. Reflecting on the experience, she also shared:
What I came to realize is that it’s really important to be reminded of our mortality, because then we live life just a little more intentionally. When we think we have all the time in the world, we can really take people for granted and experiences for granted.
These insights have not only reshaped the Star Wars alum’s outlook on life but also influenced her acting approach. Despite Day One‘s mixed reactions from critics, the lead actress’ performance has been widely praised. However, our own Eric Eisenberg felt the series has lost its momentum, giving the movie a two-star review. Still, it holds an 86% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes as well as a 74% audience rating on the site.
It’s evident that Lupita Nyong’o‘s personal loss added depth and nuance to her performance. It’s heartening to know that the filming process provided her with a therapeutic experience. This connection makes the A Quiet Place prequel even more of a must-see for me, and one would think that Chadwick Boseman would be more than proud of her work as well.
You can catch the Star Wars veteran actress in her new horror movie, A Quiet Place: Day One, which is now playing in theaters. Additionally, you can revisit her on-screen moments with late friend Chadwick Boseman in Black Panther, which is available for streaming with a Disney+ subscription.
And don’t forget to check out our 2024 movie schedule to see what other upcoming horror movies are heading to theaters near you.