Lupita Nyong'o inspired by Regina King's push for equality on screen

Regina King's awards show pledge to push for inclusivity on film and TV sets forced Lupita Nyong'o to make a few career changes.

During her Golden Globes Best Supporting Actress award acceptance speech in January (19), King announced plans to ensure 50 per cent of the creative teams hired for projects she works on is made up of women.

“I just want to say that I’m going to use my platform right now to say in the next two years everything that I produce I am making a vow - and it’s going to be tough - to make sure that everything that I produce is 50 per cent women,” The If Beale Street Could Talk star said. “And I just challenge anyone out there... to challenge yourselves and stand with us in solidarity and do the same."

The bold statement left a big impact on Nyong'o, who took a moment to look at her own contributions to making changes in the entertainment industry.

“When you have people like Regina King stand up and say, 'Hey, my next project is going to be 50 per cent women’, it wakes people up to realise that everyone has a role to play in creating or influencing the inclusive world we all so badly want to see," Nyong’o tells Vogue. "It forces you to think, 'OK, what can I do in my little sphere of influence?' It’s the consciousness of every individual to make that change.”

The Black Panther star is currently promoting her new horror film Us, directed by Get Out filmmaker Jordan Peele, and admits her admiration for him almost deterred her from taking the role.

"I had a reverence for him, and I realised that reverence kills creativity," she shares. "I had to work my way out of that to a place of respect, so that I could respect myself enough to offer my talent and trust myself enough to contribute to his vision, rather than being dwarfed by it."