Golden Globe-nominated actress Lupita Nyong'o has backed out of the Italian premiere of her movie 12 Years a Slave.
Nyong'o was originally scheduled to attend the premiere at the 18th annual Capri Hollywood festival, which opened on Friday, but has since backed out, reports Variety. Though no reason was given, her cancellation comes on the heels of the controversy surrounding the Italian posters for the film.
As reported earlier, the posters ahead of the premiere sparked controversy and calls of racism after they featured Michael Fassbender and Brad Pitt prominently, while the film's actual star Chiwetel Ejiofor was reduced to a small corner of the poster.
The Italian distributor, BIM Distribuzione, has since come forward to apologize for the posters and has taken them down at Lionsgate's Summit's request.
Though Nyong'o has backed out, no other stars set to attend the Capri festival have canceled. Others still attending to promote their films include Captain Philips' Barkhad Abdi, Idris Elba for Mandela: A Long Walk to Freedom and many more.
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