Lupita Nyong'o broke down during a live interview as she narrated the struggles she continues to face after playing her career-defining role in 12 Years a Slave.
While appearing on Inside the Actors Studio Season Finale hosted by Uzo Aduba on Sunday, December 15, the Oscar-winning actor admitted that the role still haunts her because of the depth of its historical significance.
She noted that on numerous occasions, she meets people who ask her how she got over the role but her answer is usually in the negative.
"Oftentimes people ask me, 'how did you get over it?' of course, I didn't. I had a chance to represent a time in history that is so often overlooked and it's deeply meaningful to me.
"I never take my time in this country for granted because of it," she narrated as tears freely rolled down her cheeks.
In the wide-ranging discussion, the accomplished movie star also noted that her mother had a different career path for her growing up based on the tales she spun around the village.
"My mother tells the story about when I was about three years old, I had not stepped a day in school and I spun this tale about what school I went to and what my uniform looked like.
"My mother was like, 'you know, this child is either going to be a con artist or an actor,'" she continued.
Lupita played the role of Patsey in Steve McQueen's 2013 historical drama 12 Years a Slave. The film depicted the harrowing slavery conditions in the Southern United States from the late 18th century to 1860s.
It won the BAFTA Award, the Academy Award for best picture and the Golden Globe Award for best drama among others.
