Lucky Lupita

Lupita Nyong'o with Mira Nair and Phiona Mutesi. Photos: AFP

Lupita Nyong’o, the breakout star of 12 Years A Slave, is Hollywood’s new It girl.

A THICK, unrelenting heat permeated the Louisiana sets of 12 Years A Slave – 100-degree-plus temperatures (37°C) so intense they stifled breath. The moment a scene wrapped, cast and crew would take refuge in air-conditioned cars parked nearby. One member of the ensemble, however, stayed outdoors: Lupita Nyong’o, a 30-year-old newcomer who plays Patsey, the favourite slave of a sadistic plantation master.