Lupita Nyong'o

Who is Lupita Nyong'o?

Lupita Nyong’o is an award-winning Kenyan–Mexican actor. She was educated in the US and went from being a production assistant to winning an ‘Academy Award’ in just a few years. Her remarkable talent and intelligence helped her build an impressive career, with diverse and meaningful projects that most actors can only dream of. Her ‘Academy Award’-winning part came shortly after her graduation from ‘Yale,’ in the highly acclaimed film ‘12 Years a Slave,’ directed by Steve McQueen. That was the first time a Kenyan or a Mexican actor had ever won an ‘Academy Award.’ She also delivered brilliant performances on ‘Broadway,’ in the play ‘Eclipsed,’ which was highly praised by critics. She directed a music video and appeared in box-office hits such as ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens,’ ‘The Jungle Book,’ ‘Black Panther,’ and the horror movie ‘Us.’ She also fights to raise awareness for issues in Africa, such as serious health problems, poachers, and animal rights. She has also spoken about the bitter side of Hollywood, especially the sexual harassment many actors have to endure in the industry.

Career

Just after graduating from ‘Yale,’ she bagged the chance to play ‘Patsey’ in the historical drama ‘12 Years a Slave’ (2013). The film was produced by Brad Pitt, directed by Steve McQueen, and had a brilliant cast. Thus, there was no surprise that it was the star of the ‘Academy Awards’ that year. It narrated the story of ‘Solomon Northup,’ a free man kidnapped and sold as a slave. Solomon was shown befriending Lupita’s character, Patsey, an enslaved young woman. Her performance amazed critics. The British film magazine ‘Empire’ wrote that she “gives one of the most committed big-screen debuts imaginable.”

The following year, she appeared in the action films ‘Non-Stop’ and ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens.’ After these roles, which were quite different from her first success, she returned to theater to appear in ‘Eclipsed,’ a drama that eventually made it to ‘Broadway’ and earned Lupita nominations for ‘Tony Awards.’

In 2016, the actor returned to the big screen and appeared in ‘Queen of Katwe’ and ‘The Jungle Book.’ The outstanding ‘Marvel’ box-office hit ‘Black Panther’ featured her as ‘Nakia.’ Lupita told journalists that it felt great to be at the heart of an action movie and that she enjoyed doing many of her stunts herself. She also claimed she had not realized how intense her training would be.

Another big success came in 2019, with the horror ‘Us,’ directed by Jordan Peele. The movie told the story of a family terrorized by a group of strangers looking exactly like them but wanting to kill them. Lupita had to play a double role, and this made critics praise her. However, she admitted that the role had taken all her inner resources and had exhausted her. It was an emotional experience, and she even had to take breathing lessons to manage the voice of her evil character in the movie.