Lupita Amondi Nyong’o is an actress of Kenyan-Mexican descent. Her film debut (12 Years a Slave) received an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. She is also known for her roles as Maz Kanata from the Star Wars universe and Nakia from Black Panther.
Childhood of Lupita Nyong’o
Lupita (short for the full name of Guadalupe) was born in the capital of Mexico, where her family fled from Kenya two years before her birth. His father, Peter Anyang Nyong’o, is an influential Kenyan official who taught at the University of Nairobi and championed democratic change in the country. His views were contrary to the pro-government line, because of which Nyong’o’s parents were forced to leave Kenya and settle in Mexico City. Therefore, Lupita has dual citizenship: Kenya and Mexico.
A year after the birth of Lupita, the political vector in Kenya changed, and they were able to return to their homeland. Peter Nyong’o became a senator, and his wife Dorothy took up raising children: after Lupita, the second child in their family, the couple had four more babies.
When the girl turned 16, her parents sent her to Mexico for 7 months to learn Spanish. She did this for the next 2 years, then moved to the United States and entered first at Hamshire College, where she received a Bachelor of Arts, then attended courses at the prestigious Yale University.
Actor career of Lupita Nyong’o
In Lupita’s acting career, the best-selling films are:
12 years of slavery
During her senior year, Lupita successfully auditioned for the role of a black slave in Steve McQueen’s 12 Years of Slavery, produced by Brad Pitt himself. Before that, she had practically no filming experience: she was a star of the student theater, starred in a couple of amateur short films, and assisted the director on the set of the film “The Faithful Gardener”. The role of Patsy became her debut in a big movie, and how successful!
Millions sympathized with her heroine: an emaciated, shaved slave, for whom the owner has unambiguous feelings, for which his wife hates and tortures her in every possible way. Michael Fassbender, with whom Lupita had many scenes in common, noted that the aspiring actress is in no way inferior to him in professionalism.
After the release of the film, the unknown girl became the star of American cinema. Critics were so impressed with her acting talent that they nominated the girl for an Oscar. In 2014, the coveted statuette was in her hands. Serious rivals were left behind: Julia Roberts (film “August”), Jennifer Lawrence (“American Scam”), and Sally Hawkins (“Jasmine”).
From that moment on, the life of a young Kenyan woman changed dramatically. The directors began vying with each other to offer her roles, and the leading fashion designers tried to attract them to their advertising projects. The most persistent was Miuccia Prada, who invited the black beauty to become the face of her spring collection. The photo session was so successful that Lupita was named one of the most beautiful women on the planet by People. Major contracts with Lancome, Tiffany, and other prestigious brands followed immediately.
Star Wars
In 2015, Lupita played the role of the smuggler Maz Kanata in the seventh episode of Star Wars. According to the plot of the film, it turns out that Maz Kanata is Han Solo’s friend, sympathetic to Chewbacca. In 2017, the series “Star Wars: Forces of Destiny” was released, where her heroine was assigned a central role and in the eighth episode of “Star Wars”, where Mark Hamill, who played the role of Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy, also appeared.
Black Panther
In 2018, the actress starred as the female lead in the thrilling action movie Black Panther, starring black actor Chadwick Boseman. It is noteworthy that the on-screen “chemistry” between Lupita and Michael B. Jordan in their joint scenes made the audience gossip about the emergence of a new relationship, although in the plot their heroes are not united by a love line. The actors added fuel to the fire by appearing at the premiere together.
Lupita Nyong’o now
In 2019, Lupita returned to her role as Maz Kanata in Episode 9 of Star Wars. Also, the actress, in partnership with Josh Gad, starred in the comedy horror film Little Monsters. At the same time, the actress could be seen in the Internet series “James and the Giant Peach with Taika and Friends”, in which Cate Blanchett also appeared.
The premiere of the series “Americana” is scheduled for 2021 with the participation of Nyong’o, and in 2022 viewers will see the film “Code 355”, in which Lupita starred with Jessica Chastain and Diane Kruger.
