Lupita Nyong'o says that Hollywood 'can be oversensitive to sexism'

MARRAKECH, MOROCCO - APRIL 29: Actress Lupita Nyong'o attends the Christian Dior Couture S/S20 Cruise Collection on April 29, 2019 in Marrakech, Morocco. (Photo by Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
Lupita Nyong'o (Credit: Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

Lupita Nyong'o has said that Hollywood may have become somewhat 'oversensitive' to the subject of sexism.

The issue of men being paid more than women in the movies has become increasingly unacceptable in recent years, with many women now demanding equal pay to their male co-stars.

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In a cover story interview with Vanity Fair, Star Wars and Us actress Nyong'o notes that 'there is definitely more of a sensitivity toward sexism, chauvinism, abuse'.

She also speaks about the increasing inclusion on set of 'intimacy coaches', who deal specifically with sex scenes.

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 6: Lupita Nyong'o attends The Metropolitan Museum Of Art's 2019 Costume Institute Benefit "Camp: Notes On Fashion" at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Lupita Nyong'o attends MET Gala (Credit: Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

She said: “In the past, when it came to physical combat, there were always consultants on set, but when it came to intimacy there was never, ever somebody present to help actors navigate that.

“Now you have that, which I think is a great inclusion, and ensures that those kinds of abuses don’t happen.”

Nyong'o went on: “I think there’s also at times an oversensitivity, which I just think is the nature of the pendulum shifting, and it takes time to find the balance.

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“I’m quite happy that there is that kind of extreme change, and hopefully we find equilibrium as we move forward.”

The actress is next up reprising her mo-cap role of Maz Kanata in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, due out in the UK on December 19.

She's currently filming female-led spy thriller 355, helmed by X-Men: Dark Phoenix director Simon Kinberg, and also starring Jessica Chastain, Penélope Cruz, Fan Bingbing, Diane Kruger and Sebastian Stan.

It's dues for release in January, 2021.