Lupita Nyong’o was beyond thrilled to be cast in ‘Black Panther’ as a superhero film was on her "bucket list".
The 33-year-old actress recently nabbed the part of Wakandan special forces warrior Nakia, a member of T’Challa’s personal guard, in the upcoming Marvel movie and she couldn’t be happier to fulfil her ambition.
She said: "(Playing a superhero) was on my bucket list. I definitely believe that if something is meant for me, it will come to be. But that doesn’t make me passive. It is about holding on tightly and letting go lightly."
Filming on the Ryan Coogler directed blockbuster kicks off in January with Lupita starring alongside Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa – who becomes the Black Panther after his father, the king of the fictional African nation Wakanda, is assassinated – and Michael B. Jordan as main villain Erik Killmonger. Her character Nakia could also be set for a villainous turn as in the comic book series she becomes Malice, one of Killmonger’s mutated allies in his fight for the throne of Wakanda.
Lupita – who became the first Mexican/Kenyan actress to win an Academy Award when she scooped the Best Actress Oscar in 2013 for her incredible performance in ’12 Years A Slave’ – has thanked her mother for spending time with her as a child to help her figure out her dreams.
In an interview with the Metro newspaper, she said: "I am a Pisces, which makes me a very indecisive person, but I have a Capricorn for a mother, so she is always Miss Planner. Every school holiday she had us create dream charts – we’d look at our lives and think about what we would want in the short, id and long term. It was so tedious at the time! Now I realise how useful it was to dream out loud."
Lupita will be seen next in Disney’s ‘Queen of Katwe’ with David Oyelowo and is delighted the role sheds a light on Africa as she knows it.
She added: "I love the idea of telling a story where the Africans are front and centre of their own narrative. All too often, especially on larger-scale films, we see Africa as a backdrop to itself. This film reflects an Africa I recognise from my upbringing."
Lupita Nyong’o: Superhero film was on my bucket list
