Following sustained intense criticism by disability groups, Hollywood actress, Lupita Nyong’o, has been forced to apologise for mimicking disabled people in her new film, Us. While many of her fans are commending the Queen of Katwe actress, disability groups seem very unimpressed with the way the movie chose to portray the villain in the film, the plot of which revolves around a family whose serenity is disrupted while on vacation by their exact doppelgangers who take them on a terror spree.
It is the manner in which Lupita’s doppelganger executes the voice that raised concern from the National Spasmodic Dysphonia Association (NSDA). “One of the toughest parts of having a disability is that people make assumptions based on the way you walk, talk or act, sometimes with little understanding of what is causing it,” the organization stated. “We understand that hearing the unique sound caused by symptoms of spasmodic dysphonia was the spark of inspiration for the voice of this character. What is difficult for us, and for the thousands of people living with spasmodic dysphonia, is this association to their voice with what might be considered haunting,” a statement from the NSDA on the matter reads.
The outrage came after Lupita went on record to admit to actually taking some time to learn how to speak like a spasmodic dysphonia patient.
“I met with people and learned how difficult it is to have that disorder so I’m aware of the misconceptions of the condition. I just thought speaking about it would rareness about the condition. It wasn’t my intention to offend them (marginalised groups). For all that I say sorry to anyone that I may have offended,” the Kenya-born star said in her apology.
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