Lupita Nyong’o does silly walks because she’s perfect

By Rebecca vineyard

September 20, 2015

By Rebecca vineyard

September 20, 2015

Lupita Nyong’o is everywhere right now, and we couldn’t be happier. This fall, she’ll be starring in Eclipsed at the Public Theater in New York. Last week, she reminded us that she’s the coolest by answering 73 questions in eight minutes, speaking three different languages (and hula-hoop walking. In heels.). Then, on Friday night, she was a guest on Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show and captured our hearts all over again.

According to Marie Claire, Nyong’o tells Colbert that she would love to take on a more humorous role, saying, “Comedy is very scary, and I like to be scared.”

While some of her upcoming projects may not be comedies, they may be scary in their own way: Nyong’o will appear in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the upcoming live-action ‘Jungle Book,’ film, both of which are well-known and beloved properties.

Nyong’o also reveals to Colbert that she does, in fact, have a silly side: She enjoys doing ridiculous things, but feels that she’s no longer as free to do so now that there’s always a chance paparazzi may be on the look out. She tells him, “Me and my friends would do these silly walks on the street, you know? Just break out into a silly walk. I don’t do that any longer because maybe one too many people are looking at me.”

Colbert then invites her to do a silly walk on the show, telling her it’s a “safe space.” He even does one first, which he calls The Really Cool Guy Who Can’t Walk Down Stairs. Colbert swaggers along until he gets to the end of the platform where his desk and the guests’ chairs sit, then stumbles down the two steps to the main stage floor.

Then it’s Nyong’o’s turn: She does a flawless walk she labels “Paranoid Person Whose Pants are Falling Down.” Based on this alone, we think she would nail a role that involved physical comedy; she stumbles and flails her arms about in a manner that recalls Lucille Ball, all while in stiletto heels, no less. All in all, it’s a charming moment that has caused us to love Nyong’o even more.