Lupita Nyong’o says she ‘co-directed’ a scene with Christopher Nolan for ‘The Odyssey’
TheGrio...
Lupita Nyong’o co-directed a scene, in her words, after Christopher Nolan asked her to assign tasks to background actors.
Lupita Nyong’o walked onto “The Odyssey” set expecting to play a queen. During one scene, Christopher Nolan handed her a responsibility that usually belongs behind the camera.
During an official “Tonight Show” interview, Lupita Nyong’o said she co-directed a scene after Nolan asked her to guide the background performers while playing Clytemnestra. The Oscar winner also portrays Clytemnestra’s sister, Helen of Troy, in the mythological epic.
The moment came during a brief sequence in which Agamemnon returns home and undergoes a bathing ritual. Nolan turned to Nyong’o and asked, “Lupita, will you give the background actors their tasks?”
The request surprised her because she initially assumed another crew member should handle the performers. She then understood why Nolan had chosen her. Clytemnestra was the queen overseeing the ritual, so Nyong’o’s knowledge of the character could determine what each attendant should be doing.
Because she had done her homework on Clytemnestra and the scene, Nyong’o gathered the background actors and assigned their movements. She also watched their performances while completing her own work, then offered notes when adjustments were needed.
“And then I thought to myself, I just co-directed with Chris Nolan,” she said as Jimmy Fallon and the studio audience celebrated the realization.
The behind-the-scenes story follows months of conversation around Nyong’o’s casting as Helen. She previously said she focused on who Helen was beyond beauty and appearance rather than spending her time defending the casting. The actress described herself as honored to receive the role and supported Nolan’s intentionally representative vision for the film. The comments followed online criticism of her casting.
“The Odyssey” opened in theaters and IMAX on July 17. Nyong’o’s story shows how Nolan used an actor’s preparation to shape the scene, turning her understanding of Clytemnestra into a brief opportunity to direct the world surrounding the character.