When Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o took on the role of Maz Kanata in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, many of us were disappointed that this talented African actress was being “covered up” by computer animation. However, when you see how much Nyong’o put into her performance as Maz, and how dependent animators were on her performance, it’s clear that even though you couldn’t see her real face, Nyong’o came through regardless. Check out the video from Industrial Light and Magic above to see Nyong’o behind the scenes rocking out her performance.
In The Force Awakens, Nyong’o does what Benedict Cumberbatch did in The Desolation of Smaug; what Andy Serkis did in all the Lord of the Rings films. It can’t be just anyone doing the motion capture. It can’t be just anyone under the animation. These characters are so indelible to our experience of these films, because they require humanity and a very real, very full performance. Nyong’o did that, and I’m looking forward to seeing more from her as the saga progresses!
(via Business Insider, featured image via screen capture)
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