Exclusive: Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyongo finds humanity in Roz, her unlikely synthetic naturalist in The Wild Robot.
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How can somebody sound like theyre running if they dont breathe?
We had a debate about what running sounds like for a robot.
It was fascinating to do.
Its about the importance of self-actualization and being more than you thought you were meant to be.
Its also about the importance of community.
The individual is very much informed and inspired by the community they come from, she explains.
The idea that to self-actualize is to separate from others is a folly.
It can mean embracing the collective and expressing it uniquely, and I loved that.
But Roz is a robot and behaves like a robotnot just a metal person.
It was a unique challenge for Nyongo as an actor.
For me, as an actor, emotion is something I rely on to get the subtleties across.
The animated figure didnt even have facial expressions.
You have to convey everything through your voice, Nyongo points out.
So there are some challenging limitations, but it was also kind of liberating.
you’re able to do whatever you want in the booth.
Its a bright voice.
AlthoughThe Wild Robotpresented Nyongo with unique challenges, in many ways it was just like any other acting job.
It starts with the same questions I ask of any character.
What do I want?
How do I go about getting it?
I think the hardest thing was that so much of the performance was in the hands of the animators.
Well, Ive definitely noticed more green screen, she laughs.
We can be in Busan in Atlanta, and it can be immersive even on the set.
Everything was three-dimensional and moving.
All these aliens were animatronics.
In theBlack Pantherfilms, Nyongo saw what was possible with digital technology.
Nyongo tries to find a range of experiences to breathe truth into.
I look for roles that will teach me something new about myself or the world, she says.
Those are the things that I consider.
What are the ways the role will stretch me?
It was up to my imagination to keep those things in mind.
Fortunately, she was not alone.
Chris Sanders is not just an incredible animation director, but an incredible actors director as well.
He has such an incredible facility for inspiring a new thought without giving you line reading, Nyongo says.
He gives it his all, hes got such a dynamic voice, Nyongo says.
He understands all the characters hes written, and he brings it.
He was my scene partner, all the scene partners that I needed.
I enjoyed that process of figuring out ways for Roz to adapt to this thing we experience as empathy.
They unabashedly have access to rage and fear and glee and euphoria.
They have big feelings and understand big feelings in a way that we shy away from as adults.
The Wild Robotwas a unique experience for Nyongo, but she still has new things she wants to try.
I am very keen to work in the comedic realm.
Im very keen to walk towards the light.
The Wild Robot is out in theaters on Sept. 27.
