Kenyan Hollywood star Lupita Nyong’o has revealed that the Oscar Award she won in 2014 helped her acquire the US Green Card.
Speaking during an interview with Thanu Yakupitiyage and Rage Kidvai of the ‘Bad Brown Aunties’ podcast, Lupita said she had struggled to establish herself in the US as she did not have permanent residency.
To acquire a Green Card, the 36-year-old actress said she was required to get a permanent job or win an international films award which she did for her role in the iconic ‘12 Years A Slave’ film, reported Nairobi News.
The 36-year-old was born in Mexico to Kenyan parents and lived there for a year before her family returned to Kenya. She attended Yale College, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Film and Theater Studies from Hampshire College.
In an interview with Vogue in 2015, Lupita opened up about being Luo and also revealed how she was told her skin was too dark for a TV role in Kenya during auditions.
According to The Sauce, the ‘Black Panther’ actress’ new book titled ‘Sulwe’ will be in stores on October 1st 2019. ‘Sulwe’ which means star in her native Dholuo language tells the story of a young girl growing up in Kenya who has the darkest skin colour of all her family.
