Lupita Nyong'o had "cat therapy" for A Quiet Place: Day One
Lupita Nyong'o returns to the horror genre for the first time since Us in A Quiet Place: Day One, and she had to overcome a personal fear to do it: cats.
Written and directed by Pig's Michael Sarnoski, the new movie is a prequel to the hit horror A Quiet Place and centres on Sam (Nyong'o), who finds herself in New York City when the alien invasion starts.
Sam isn't alone on her journey, because as well as teaming up with Eric (Joseph Quinn), she has her cat Frodo for company, which caused Nyong'o a problem before filming.
"When I read the script, I loved the character, and I loved the story that Michael was telling with this film. It's a very surprising tone that he's added to this universe. The cat, that was the sticking point for me," she told Digital Spy.
"I actually tried to get him to change the animal. He was like, 'No it has to be a cat'. Because I wanted to play the role, I had to get over my fear of cats. I went through cat therapy. They brought me cats to my home.
"It started with two, and the first day, they just let the cats roam around me, and I asked the woman who brought the cats questions about why they were doing certain things. The next day, I touched one with one finger and slowly, slowly I got comfortable enough to hold a cat through this film."
Once her fear of cats was overcome for the movie, Nyong'o then quickly had to learn what it was like to film a horror movie, especially one where her character is constantly on edge throughout the runtime.
"I actually remember when we started doing this film and once the invasion had happened and we had to act scared, I was like, 'Oh my god'. I had amnesia about how much energy it takes to act scared all day," she recalled.
"It's very exhausting, but in the end, it's very rewarding when it works. I didn't learn my lesson, and that's why I came back [to the horror genre]."
A Quiet Place: Day One is released in UK cinemas on June 27 and in US cinemas on June 28.
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