Lupita Nyong'o thought things would "go back to normal" after she won an Oscar.
Lupita Nyong'o
The 33-year-old star triumphed in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role category at the 2014 Academy Awards for her role in '12 Years a Slave' but didn't realise it would have such a profound effect on her life.
She said: "Right after the Oscars, I had no idea what I was going to do next. Zero clue. There's part of me that thought my life would go back to normal. Like at school. But it didn't. I did not get out of that unscathed, you know?"
Ahead of her role in the historical drama, the 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' actress shaved off her hair and admits she wasn't sure she could pull it off at first.
She explained to the April issue of InStyle magazine: "I wasn't sure if I could pull off [the bald look]. Because hair is the frame of the face, right? And we spend so much time on it, trying to get it perfect. It often defines one's beauty and feminine value.
"Almost on a whim, I was like, 'What if I didn't have it?' And so I shaved it all off - I was a complete baldy! It was shocking at first, especially for my mom. But I learned to embrace my features. And I like myself a lot more now that I'm not constantly fussing over my hair."
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