The actress Lupita Nyong’ostar of the upcoming animated film wild robot (The Wild Robot), he had to rest his vocal chords for three months after developing a polyp in them due to the demanding voice he adopted to interpret his character. The Academy Award winner shared details of this experience during a recent appearance on the show Late Night with Seth Meyers.
What happened was that, at the beginning of the movie, Lupita chose to use a “super positive” voice for his character, thinking that this was the right tone for the performance. However, this same choice ended up harming her health because said tone “was not in my vocal register, which is much lower.”
The effort to maintain that optimistic voice ended up damaging his vocal cords. “I did it for a long time over several days and I got a vocal polyp.”revealed the actress, also known for her role in A Quiet Place: Day One. In the film, Nyong’o she plays a robot named Roz, who “goes through this journey to find what we would call humanity, like empathy.”
Vocal cord polyps are benign, non-cancerous lesions that can appear on one or both vocal cords. These lesions can include nodules, cysts and the aforementioned polyps, mainly caused by excessive or incorrect use of the vocal cords. Treatments for these conditions may include voice therapy, behavioral changes to improve vocal health, and, in some cases, surgery.
Nyong’o, 41, said she lost the ability to speak and her doctor told her she should take vocal rest. “I was on vocal rest for three months”, he commented. Nyong’o, who is also remembered for her role as Nakia in the films Black Panther and other Marvel Studios titles.
Lupita explained that she was initially scheduled to undergo surgery, but radically changed her mind when her doctor explained that there was a percentage of people who recover naturally. “She was so determined to be part of that 35%”recalled the Hollywood star. “And i did it. I healed myself”, he added about his long recovery process.
Despite the actress’ positive case, the Cleveland Clinic (cited by People) indicates that the recovery without surgery is not common. “You will probably need surgery if you have a polyp or cyst. Unlike nodules, polyps and cysts do not usually improve with voice therapy,” reports the institution.
Despite her temporary inability to speak, Nyong’o did not let this stop her from enjoying live music. In this way, the actress did not sit idly at home and she attended the concerts of two great singers of the moment who continue to give something to talk about thanks to her tours and personal life: Taylor Swift and Beyonce.
Of course, in order not to harm her health, Lupita had to take additional precautions. “You had to carry a note that said, ‘I’m on vocal rest,’” Seth Meyers said during the interview. “Yes, I made it at home,” Nyong’o responded, adding that he even “improved” her signage by using a button for the Cowboy Carter author’s concert.
“Sometimes People thought I was being rude because I didn’t say anything.”, shared the actress. In those situations, she chose to say hello and smile, avoiding talking. “So I thought, ‘Okay. Let people know what’s going on, and then they’ll have sympathy for me instead of hate,’” she added with a laugh to her anecdote.
