ABC/Image Group LA; Marvel StudiosBlack Panther star Lupito Nyong’o is starring in a new horror comedy called Little Monsters, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Tuesday. While the movie’s title suggests a Lady Gaga connection, it’s actually much more about Taylor Swift.
As USA Today reports, in the movie, Nyong’o, an Oscar-winner for 12 Years a Slave, plays Miss Caroline, a kindergarten teacher who must protect her students when zombies attack during a field trip to a petting zoo. While fighting off the zombies with the help of one of the kid’s parents, she sings songs — including Taylor’s hit “Shake It Off” — to keep the students’ spirits up.
“I do enjoy singing but it’s not often that I do it in the movies,” she tells USA Today. “It was a weird feeling…it was all really uncharted territory. And I adore Taylor Swift‘s song ‘Shake It Off.'”
Nyong’o adds, “Honestly, ‘Shake It Off’ is an anthem of mine. The year it came out, I was having a really hard time on a project, so my best friend came to see me and cheer me up. He played it on his phone and we had a dance party in my bedroom, so I played it on repeat through that period.”
She adds, “That’s one of the reasons why my interest was piqued in this movie when I read the script, because I was like, ‘Someone else who loves “Shake It Off” just as much as I do!'”
Little Monsters will be released on Hulu later this year.
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