Lupita Nyong’o
Box office sensation Black Panther has been in theaters for a little while now. I saw it twice opening weekend and am hoping to see it for a third time this weekend. As I believe everyone has either seen for themselves, or heard from others, the movie is great. But, it wasn’t all about, Chadwick Boseman, who played Black Panther. A large portion of the movie’s great success, earning well over 900 million dollars worldwide to date, is thanks to the movie’s stellar supporting cast. This group of predominately minority actors includes, in her role as Nakia, Lupita Nyong’o.
Lupita Nyong’o was born in Mexico City, Mexico to Kenyan parents. One of six children, she spent parts of her childhood in both Mexico and Kenya, and attended the Yale School of Drama. Throughout these years, she became fluent in Spanish, Luo, English, and Swahili. That is so impressive! When asked about her race and ethnicity, Nyong’o says, “I am Mexican-Kenyan and I’m fascinated by carne asada tacos.”
Lupita began her professional acting career at 14. Her acting career blew up following her Oscar winning performance in 12 Years a Slave. She went on to perform in recent Star Wars movies, Non-Stop, and of course, Black Panther.
- Karson Baldwin, Co-President Project RACE Teens
