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Lupita apologises after disability groups condemn her double role in ‘Us’


Award winning actress, Lupita Nyong’o, has issued an apology after revealing that she drew inspiration of her character in Us, from a disability condition.

In the new horror film, Lupita plays two characters, Adelaide Wilson and Red, the latter of whom is an evil doppelgänger hellbent on bloody revenge.

In several interviews while promoting the movie, the actress said she used a condition called spasmodic dysphonia to help her voice the character Red in the horror movie.

Spasmodic dysphonia is a neurological disorder that causes involuntary spasms of the larynx.

Last week, the National Spasmodic Dysphonia Association were appalled after Nyong’o told the New York Times she based the voice of Red, on Robert F Kennedy Jr, who suffers from the condition.

TERRIFYING CHARACTER

Her comments sparked backlash from disability advocates for linking her terrifying character to the condition and disability.

During an appearance on The View on Friday, the 36-year-old Oscar winner responded to the criticism.

“I met with people as part of my exploration with the condition, and I learned how difficult it is to have the disorder. So I am very aware of the frustrations and misconceptions and the misdiagnosis… I thought in speaking about it and mentioning it, it might shed light on the condition,” Lupita said.

She added that the thought that she would offend anyone was not her intention.

HORROR MOVIE

“In my mind, I wasn’t interested in vilifying or demonizing the condition. I crafted Red with love and care. As much as it was in a genre-specific world, I really wanted to ground her in something that felt real. For all that, I say sorry to anyone that I may have offended,” she said.

She also explained she had met with people who have spasmodic dysphonia and was hoping to raise awareness of it by ‘speaking up about it’ while addressing her character.

Last week, the film raked in an estimated Sh7 billion in ticket sales in the United States to become the largest opening weekend for an original horror movie.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie is now the third-best horror opening of all time.