Lupita Nyong'o explains how she asked Taylor Swift to let her use Shake It Off in Little Monsters

Lupita Nyong'o joined Sean Evans on First We Feast's Hot Ones show to talk about making scary movies, having a cat as a co-star, and how she personally reached out to Taylor Swift to let her use Shake It Off for the 2019 comedy horror film Little Monsters.

In the Thursday, June 28, episode of the show, the Academy Award-winning actress gushed about the Midnights singer's generosity in allowing her to use her song in the movie. Talking about how she managed to do it despite the producers saying that they couldn't get the clearance to use the song, she said:

"When they came, and they told me, 'Aw, no we can't get the rights.' I decided, 'Okay. I'm going to go, I'm going to make a pitch. I'm going to let Taylor know what this song means to me and I told her that story about how it lifted me from an almost depression,' and the next thing I knew, it was cleared."

Little Monsters, starring Nyong'o and directed by Abe Forsythe, is a horror slash romantic-comedy hybrid about a washed-up musician teaming up with a teacher to protect the kids from a sudden zombie invasion.

Nyong'o, who learned to play the Ukelele for her character as Miss Caroline in the film, gave a ukelele-led rendition of Swift's Shake It Off in several scenes. In one scene, she was seen singing the hit song on a bus to keep the kids occupied and in another, she again performed the song with the kids singing as they took residence in a tent.

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Lupita Nyong'o shares why she fought to have Swift's Shake It Off in Little Monsters

Lupita Nyong'o also recalled on the show how Taylor Swift's Shake It Off helped "lift her spirits" at a time in her life, a true story that later made for a winning pitch. She mentioned:

"When I was working in London on Star Wars, I was going through a lot of self-doubt because it was the second thing I had done. I was getting a little depressed. My best friend came to London and Taylor had just released Shake It Off."

Lupita Nyong'o recalled her friend playing the song, which ended up starting an endless dancing session. The actress said:

"He played it for me to get me into better spirits and we just jumped on my bed and just danced and danced, and it lifted my spirits."

The award-winning actress said she told her personal story about the 2014 hit single to Taylor Swift, which has given her movie the all-clear to use the song. It's not the first time Lupita Nyong'o shared how grateful she is to the singer. She told the same to Entertainment Tonight in 2019, saying:

"I didn't hear from her personally, but when I heard we got the song, I knew she heard me and I was just so grateful."

She was thankful to the pop star then as she is thankful to her now, and had previously said she hoped Taylor Swift would feel that she took care of her song.

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In related news, Lupita Nyong'o's latest movie A Quiet Place: Day One is coming to US cinemas on June 28, 2024, two days after premiering at the Tribeca Festival.