Lupita Nyong'o is one of those actresses who makes you believe that self-confidence and determination are all you need to achieve your dreams. Skin colour and race be damned. Lupita turns 37 today. She was born in Mexico and raised in Kenya. She belongs to a family of achievers. Her father is a senior Kenyan politician, her mother owns a cancer center and a communications company while her brothers are well-placed in the society. So you can say it's in her genes to be successful and talented. Lupita Nyong’o Draws Comparisons Between ‘GOT’ White Walkers and Tethered from ‘Us’

Lupita debuted in Hollywood with 12 Years A Slave which won her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. It was obviously a monumental thing as it set and broke many records. Life definitely has changed after that as Lupita said in an interview with Yahoo, "My life has definitely changed. It was the start of my career and it's put me in a position to make the choices I've made to date. To be on this couch right now would not have been possible without ‘12 Years a Slave’ so I'm eternally grateful.” The feeling is absolutely mutual, we know that's what the fans will say.

So today, let's know more about her through these five trivia stories.

#Ivy league Hollywood actress

Lupita studied in a lot of international schools in Nairobi, Kenya, moved back to Mexico city to perfect her Spanish and later joined Hampshire College. That's not all. She is a graduate of Yale in acting. Phew!

#A director

Lupita worked as a production assistant on the sets of a lot of Hollywood movies and has even scripted and directed a documentary called In My Genes in 2009.

#The firsts

Lupita is the first African-American to win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Also, she is the first Mexican born actress to lift the Golden Statuette.

#Self-made designer

Lupita felt it was more affordable to stitch your own clothes than buy some. So she stitched her own prom gown. Wow!

#Let me be me

Lupita was the cover girl for Grazia UK in 2017 but it wasn't what she expected. The actress couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the cover which replaced her ponytail with smooth hair. She called out the magazine for the same and photographer An Le apologised for it. That's what you standing up for yourself!

 

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 01, 2020 09:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).