Lupita Nyong’o recently shared how her role in A Quiet Place: Day One was a deeply personal and therapeutic experience, especially in the wake of Chadwick Boseman’s death. In the Michael Sarnoski-directed film, Nyong’o portrays Sam, a poet battling terminal cancer while aliens hunt humans based on sound.
Nyong’o told People magazine that diving into a character facing mortality before an apocalyptic event was both daunting and cathartic. The role resonated profoundly with her as it echoed her grief over Boseman, her Black Panther co-star and friend, who passed away from colon cancer at 43 in August 2020.
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“It was scary to have to go there,” Nyong’o admitted, reflecting on the psychological and emotional demands of the role. “In the end, it was actually very therapeutic because I had just experienced not too many years ago the death of Chadwick Boseman, which shook me to my core. I definitely was thinking about that a lot.”
Nyong’o emphasized the importance of being reminded of our mortality, saying it encourages living life with greater intention. “When we think we have all the time in the world, we can really take people for granted and experiences for granted,” she said.
Following Boseman’s death, Nyong’o honored him in a heartfelt Instagram post, praising his quiet strength and presence during the making of Black Panther. “He had no airs about him, but there was a higher frequency that he seemed to operate from. He commanded his time with ease…and he put in the work with all of us,” she wrote.
