Lupita Nyong’o has apologized for basing her evil character’s voice in Jordan Peele’s Us off of the neurological disorder, Spasmodic Dysphonia. The 36-year-old actress said she never intended to demonize or mock the disorder.
“The thought that I would, in a way, offend them was not my intention,” Nyong’o said during a visit to The View on Thursday (Mar. 28). “In my mind, I wasn’t interested in vilifying or demonizing the condition. I crafted Red with love and care.”
Nyong’o’s apology arrives after the National Spasmodic Dysphonia Association (NSDA) released a statement criticizing the Us star’s voice, which was altered to sound broken and unrecognizable. She previously confirmed that she was inspired by Robert F. Kenndey Jr., who had voice spasms as a result of the disorder.
Following Nyon’go’s apology, the NSDA responded.
“We thank Ms. Nyong’o for her efforts to bring attention to this rare neurological voice disorder and appreciate her intention was to help our cause. Since learning of the movie’s release, the NSDA’s goal has remained the same, to educate and raise awareness about spasmodic dysphonia and its challenges in a positive way. This has been an opportunity to expose a much larger population to the impact of this voice disorder,” shared NSDA Executive Director Kimberly Kuman.
Watch Lupita’s full statement in the video above.