As we inch closer to the release of Us, the sophomore feature from Get Out director Jordan Peele, the buzz just keeps getting louder. The wildly anticipated film premiered at SXSW earlier this month to absolute raves, with Lupita Nyong'o getting major acclaim for her dual performance as the matriarch of the film's central family as well as her creepy counterpart.
Speaking with Ellen DeGeneres in an interview airing Wednesday, Nyong'o explained that bringing Peele's vision to the screen required her to dive into some internal darkness.
"It's a nightmare from Jordan Peele's mind and it is about a woman who is riddled with this trauma from her childhood that she can not explain," she said of her character, Adelaide Wilson. "She's on vacation with her family in their summer home in Santa Cruz and she's convinced that something bad is going to happen, and she's proven right when these four shadowy figures show up at the top of their driveway and their worst nightmare ensues."
Playing two characters in the same film provided a unique challenge for the Oscar winner. "It was incredible," she said. "I mean, it was hard work. They're very different and they're diametrically opposed to each other but they are also connected, so I had to go to some dark places within myself to find the doppelgänger Red, do a crazy voice. That was a lot of fun to create. I enjoyed the experience." Between takes, she added, she often grabbed some sleep so she could "catch up" with herself.
Catch the full interview, which opens with a brief discussion on the benefits of meditation retreats, up top. Nyong'o also joined DeGeneres for a round of Real Scary or Real Fake:
The wait for Us is almost over, with Peele's expected box office and critical smash set to hit theaters on March 22.
