Lupita Nyong’o sat down with The Hollywood Reporter for a new cover interview prior to the release of the movie, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
In the interview, the actress shared that she knew she was about to become a meme when the Oscar’s slap happened.
At the 94th Academy Awards, Will Smith walked onstage and slapped Chris Rock in the face, after the comedian made a joke about the actor's wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
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. According to THR, the actress had reacted “like much of the audience watching at home, first with nervous laughter and then with confusion and open-mouthed shock.
Photos of theUs actress had gone viral which shows her looking on in shock after first seeming unsure about how to respond to the slap.
“Once the moment was over, I realised, ‘Oh my God, there’s no way all this transpired and I’m not in the shot,’ ” Nyong’o said with a laugh. “I knew as soon as it was over that I was going to be a meme.” On what it was like to be there that night, she’ll let the memes do her talking for her. “I don’t want to add any more fuel to that thing, quite frankly,” she added.
Lupita Nyong’o is set to star in the upcoming Black Panther sequel which is will be releasing November 11.