Lupita Nyong’o on Why Voicing a Castaway in ‘The Wild Robot’ Made Her Think of Her Parents

Lupita Nyong’o’s upcoming animated film “The Wild Robot” from DreamWorks, in which she lends her voice to a robot castaway wandering a wild island, may change into a movie for mothers.

In the film, which hits theaters Friday, Sept. 27, the robot Roz, voiced by Nyong’o, finally ends up taking care of the newly hatched duckling. The film’s story involves Roz’s attempts to lift the duckling while also exploring a recent land.

“For me, it was really coming to terms with the fact that a parent’s job — a mother’s job — is to prepare their child to leave her. They have to feel secure in their parenting skills to be able to let go,” Nyong’o told Washington Post.

The film’s theme of motherhood also made the actress remember her parents, who sent her to Mexico at age 16.

“They instilled everything in me,” she continued. “At that point, I took their love for granted. For me, the trip to Mexico was just for me, and I never stopped to think how hard it must have been for them to let me go.”

Although Nyong’o was born in Mexico to Kenyan parents, she was raised in Kenya and later, during her adolescence, spent seven months in Mexico to learn Spanish.

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She added: “I called my mother and thanked her for giving me the strength to leave and for giving me the confidence and faith in her parenting skills to believe that I could do it on my own and come back.”

Nyong’o also uses her experience living in Mexico to attach with the strangeness of her character Roz on the island where she finally ends up stranded. Over the course of the film, Roz must accept her recent surroundings and find out about her surroundings.

“Even though I was born (in Mexico), I felt very alien there,” she said of her time in Mexico. NBC Newsadding, “I am most proud of my ability to adapt to new surroundings but at the same time remain true to myself and maintain my essence.”

To make the film, Nyong’o also needed to tread recent waters, because it was her first lead role in an animated film. The process was recent to her, but she welcomed the challenge.

“You don’t get a lot of leading roles in animation,” she told the Washington Post. “This project gave me a really exciting vocal opportunity because of the evolution of this character. She’s literally finding her voice.”

Nyong’o’s character speaks in an unnatural, mechanical tone much like Siri or Alexa. But Roz’s mastery of the mechanical voice took its toll on her; the actress temporarily damaged her vocal cords. During her recovery, she shared interview with Jimmy Fallon that she went to Beyoncé and Taylor Swift live shows, but couldn’t sing with them.

“It was torture,” she said.

Earlier this month, Nyong’o posted a trailer for the sentimental film on her website Instagram.

In the caption, she wrote: “This movie is for anyone with a pulse! 🥹💗🫶🏿 And trust me: see it on the big screen 😊.”