It would be hard to burst onto the Hollywood scene with greater impact than Lupita Nyong’o has. Perhaps that’s to be expected when your first role in a feature film lands you an Academy Award, but for Nyong’o, it was more than that. Over the course of her promotional tour for 2013’s “12 Years a Slave,” Nyong’o was catapulted to “It Girl” status. Her fashion choices, hairstyles, interviews, speeches, stature—her very persona—were things to rave about. Social media dubbed her a “queen.”
In person, there is something regal about the 33-year-old actress. She speaks slowly and with emphasis, her posture perfect and her hands clasped in her lap. Words matter to her—twice she asks for clarification on a question before she answers it. Her stateliness is especially fitting as she promotes “Queen of Katwe,” a film inspired by the true story of Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi.
“This is a very intimate story, unlike the other, more popular stories told on the African continent. They’re about wars or political dictators or what-have-you. Those are [on] a much bigger scope,” Nyong’o said. “This is a view of Africa told with Africans front and center. It’s their narrative, whereas in most films where you see Africa or the Africans, it’s told from a foreign perspective. So I think [director] Mira Nair was determined to tell the story from the inside out, and that means that you have layered characters. Yes, you have struggle, and the story rests in struggle, but it is also a story about perseverance. It’s also a story about vision and magic! The magic of realizing your dream.”
Phiona and her family live in the slums of Katwe, selling maize to make ends meet. Nyong’o plays Harriet, Phiona’s young widowed mother. Considering that Nyong’o has no children herself, playing a mother of four was a bit of a challenge, but she brings both strength and vulnerability to Harriet, who’s scared to let her daughter dream for fear of disappointment.
“When you live in poverty, you’re living a very reactive life. You’re striving to survive rather than to thrive, you know? And there’s very little time that you’re able to dedicate to actually visualizing a better future for yourself. You just are trying to figure out what your next meal is,” Nyong’o said. “So you don’t have time to have big dreams and to figure out what you need to do to achieve them.”
As Harriet, Nyong’o makes her first onscreen appearance in two years. She hasn’t been idle—she lent her voice to “The Jungle Book” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and earned a Tony nomination for her Broadway debut in “Eclipsed.” But she said that “Queen of Katwe” spoke to her like no other project that’s come across her desk, and it’s partially because of that commitment to the African perspective.
“Here we have a story with a director who knows this place and respects this place, loves this place, and can really tell the story from the inside out,” she said. “So you have this authenticity to it. I think the conversation can only change when the storytellers themselves are more inclusive.”
In the film, Phiona is coached by an African missionary, Robert Katende (played by David Oyelowo of “Selma”). Nyong’o has admitted that something she appreciated about “Queen of Katwe” was how it avoided the “white savior” trope—a scenario where a nice white person comes along and rescues the poor black people from their circumstances.
“I worked for Mira Nair’s film lab [Mirabai Films] in Uganda, and the slogan of that film lab is ‘If we don’t tell our stories, no one else will.’ And so it’s about who is the person—what is the intention or motivation of the person telling the story?” Nyong’o said. “I remember years back, reading an article about the writer … of ‘The Last King of Scotland,’ and he was being asked why he told it from the perspective that he did, and his answer was, ‘That’s the perspective that I know.’ “
When it comes to telling her own story, Nyong’o is expanding both the range of her performances and conventions of the industry. “Queen of Katwe,” “Eclipsed” and “12 Years a Slave” all presented unique difficulties, but Nyong’o hopes to branch out in a different direction entirely at some point: comedy.
“I think that that is a challenge I would wish upon myself,” she laughed. “It’s very vulnerable to be funny. I did it in graduate school and it terrified me, and I want to do it some more.”
The comedy Nyong’o performed in during graduate school was called “The Really Big Fat Show,” and her role was that of a clown. Imagining the Oscar winner in clown drag is a little unexpected, but then, Nyong’o doesn’t shy away from breaking the mold.
That holds true off the screen, as well. When Nyong’o became an ambassador for Lancome, she also became the first black woman to represent the cosmetics house that traditionally showcased women like Julia Roberts, Emma Watson and Kate Winslet. On the red carpet, Nyong’o has made her mark by donning bold, declarative pieces that integrate her African heritage. She has spoken out about serving as an example for girls who think their dark skin isn’t beautiful.
Does she think her career is paving the way for a more diverse Hollywood? It’s a big question—one she weighs more heavily than usual before answering.
“I don’t think any one person does it,” she said. “I think it’s the movement of lots of individuals coming together at one time. It’s a convergence of intention, you know? So I certainly hope that me being around and working is changing something, shifting something, but I don’t think I can claim the power of being able to shift an entire industry.”
But little shifts are clear to those who look for them. After two years of #OscarsSoWhite, the Film Academy invited a record 683 new members in its 2016 class, 41 percent of which was people of color. But for Nyong’o, even this film is a victory.
“We are about to open ‘Queen of Katwe’ across America,” she said. “I think that is a major change.”
@lchval | laurenchval@redeyechicago.com
