The actress discusses the real-life inspiration for her character’s frightening voice in her latest project.
Jordan Peele’s second directorial effort Us, that was theatrically released in the United States on March 22, 2019, by Universal Pictures, is a psychological thriller about a family confronted by a band of doppelgangers and features Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke in lead roles.
Though Us is a horror movie, no sound in the film is more likely to induce nightmares than the voice of its main villain, Red, essayed by Lupita Nyong’o. The actress will be seen in a dual performance - she is also Adelaide, Red’s non-villainous doppelganger.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that Nyong’o worked hard to find Red’s frightening voice, basing it on a real-life medical condition called Spasmodic Dysphonia, in which muscle spasms cause breaks and interruptions in one’s speech patterns. This condition can be caused by emotional or physical trauma.
Talking about the condition Spasmodic Dysphonia, the Black Panther actress said, “It’s not really understood why it happens, or how it happens. It could be a trauma in your life – someone dying, or a physical assault. It varies. For me, it felt very organic as an inspiration for Red, who’s had this kind of strangled past.”
Lupito Nyong’o, who was inspired after hearing someone with that condition speak said, “I was fascinated, and I started doing research. I met with people who have the condition and built it from there.”
She added, “I worked with my ENT and a vocal therapist to be able to do it but keep my voice safe, because it’s quite dangerous for a healthy vocal box to do that kind of thing. Then I built off of that.”
Jordan Peele told The Hollywood Reporter, “When she is the Red character, she’s fully in character, even when she’s alone, and she was terrifying. You didn’t want to look her in the eyes. You didn’t want to be like, ‘I couldn’t understand that line.’ You’re afraid you’re going to die.”
According to Nyong’o, Red’s character is very id-driven. “One of the things that we were looking for was for that to come across in the quality of her voice – just the raw emotion, the raw rage.”
Nyong’o also stated that her tethered voice in Us is inspired by the condition, however it is not an exact replica of the condition.
– With information from The Hollywood Reporter
