The Life of Lupita

'12 Years a Slave' received much-deserved praise from the Academy at this year's Oscars on Sunday night. And, to our great joy, Lupita Nyong'o received the award for Best Supporting Actress- a testament to her true talent.

But who's the real girl behind the cinderella dresses? From our research, she is as much of a humble, sweet princess on the inside as she is on the outside.

Lupita was chosen for the role of Patsey, the field slave and suicidal object of Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender) in the movie, '12 Years a Slave.' Filmmaker Steve McQueen chose the 30-year-old Yale School of Drama grade for the role for her beauty, her countenance, and her dedication to her acting career.

Nyong'o identifies herself as a Mexi-Kenyan. Her parents are Kenyan but her mother gave birth in Mexico. In fact, Nyong'o has admitted, "It's gotten me into a lot of trouble: Kenyans want to claim me, and, now, Mexicans do too." 

She's also used to the spotlight - her father, Peter Anyang'Nyong'o is a political leader in his native Congo. Lupita has grown up in the political and public eye, often accompanying her father to Parliamentary meetings as a young child. However, it has not always been a smooth political sail for the Nyong'o family. Her father had great struggle trying to bring democracy to local areas, so the family was forced into political exile in Mexico. 

The struggles throughout her life, though different from what her character suffers from in '12 Years A Slave,' prepared her for role. Luckily, she had the support of her castmates when getting into character, "The mood on set, the feeling as though everyone was holding hands around me, every single person, actors, crew, background, everyone's energy was circling around me. That holds you up, that ring of support."

We're proud of Lupita for her win, and we can't wait to see more of her work in the future!