Lupita Nyong’olovesTaylor Swift‘s music just as much as the rest of us!
Speaking to the audience at theSundance Film Festivalin Park City, Utah this week, Nyong’o, 35, revealed that Swift’s 2014 hit “Shake It Off” got her through a hard time in her life.
“‘Shake It Off’ means a lot to me,” Nyong’o said, according to theNew York Post.“I was going through a hard time professionally, and I was just in a funk.”
“I was working abroad, and my best friend came to cheer me up,” theBlack Pantheractress continued. “He played ‘Shake It Off’ on his phone, and we just had a dance party in my bedroom.”
JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX/AFP/Getty; Leon Bennett/FilmMagic
Nyong’o was at Sundance to promote her new movie,Little Monsters,which premiered at the film festival this week.
In the movie, Nyong’o plays a school teacher who has to protect her young students from a zombie invasion. Her character, Miss Caroline, plays the ukulele and sings songs to keep the children calm — including “Shake It Off”!
Lupita Nyong’o at the premiere ofLittle Monsters.George Pimentel/Getty
Nyong’o revealed that she wrote directly to Swift, 29, to ask for permission to use “Shake It Off” in the film.
“It meant a lot to me that this film had that [song],” the actress said. “And so when I heard that they were having a hard time [getting the rights], I wroteTaylor Swiftmyself and asked her and told her that story — and she said yes!”
Speaking toUSA Today, Nyong’o said “Shake It Off” was part of why she agreed to do the film.
“That’s one of the reasons why my interest was piqued in this movie when I read the script,” Nyong’o told the outlet, “because I was like, ‘Someone else who loves ‘Shake It Off’ just as much as I do!'”
Nyong’o also admitted that she was “very nervous” to sing on camera inLittle Monsters.
“I do enjoy singing but it’s not often that I do it in the movies,” she said. “It was a weird feeling. But I learned to play the ukulele as well, so it was all really uncharted territory.
source: people.com
