Huh? J.J. Abrams 'Unimpressed' With Lupita and Cut Her Scenes in Star Wars
Lupita Nyong'o landed the big break of her career when she was cast in J.J. Abrams's reboot of the Star Wars franchise, but things may not have gone as planned. The Oscar winner has reportedly been cut from most of the movie after Abrams was left feeling "unimpressed" by her performance.
UK's The Sun reports that all but a couple of scenes featuring Lupita, who plays Maz Kanata in the reboot, have been left on the cutting room floor. And of those that remain, Abrams asked that they be re-recorded, presumably with another actress's voice.
A source told the paper, "The CGI seemed to be what Lupita struggled with, perhaps because it meant she felt less of a connection to the character. There was a general sense that something wasn’t working so a lot of her scenes ended up being either re-worked or cut. Unfortunately she just didn’t end up delivering."
The source continues, "It does happen in Hollywood, but not usually with Academy Award winners. Her part in the final film will now be a lot smaller than was initially expected. It’s ultimately quite embarrassing for Lupita but she’s still thrilled to even be in such an iconic movie."
To make things even more awkward, a new trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens hit the Internet last week, entirely from the perspective of Lupita's character.
Hopefully this is all just a rumor, but if not, we're sure the gorgeous star will bounce back. After all, she still has a lot of fans in Hollywood, including Spike Lee. Watch the legendary filmmaker talk about Lupita's future in show business below:
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(Photos from left: Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images for Montclair Film Festival, Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Glamour)