The I life of Lupita

On and off-screen, Lupita Nyong'o is the picture of a woman who remains resilient and hopeful, no matter the grief and hardship she endures. At the top of her game, the award-winning actress is now using her platform to amplify the voices of women around her.

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How does a successful actress 1 with an Oscar and an estimated R200 million net worth become even more accomplished? By aiming for more fulfilling projects and adding more blockbusters under her belt, that's how.

And Lupita Nyong'o set the bar high for herself from the word go. Her 2013 debut in a feature film as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave, won her an Oscar for best supporting actress, while the film was named Best Picture. In addition, she was nominated for two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

After that, the rising star was inundated with even more challenging roles. Her Broadway debut led to a Tony Award nomination for her performance as a rape victim during the Liberian civil war in the play Eclipsed. Other notable performances include the terrifying dual lead roles in Jordan Peele's Us, and her motion-capture role as pirate queen Maz Kanata in the recent Star Wars films. And it doesn't end there. Once again, Lupita contributed to groundbreaking success when she sank her teeth into the role of T'Challa's lover and fellow Wakandan, Nakia, in Ryan Coogler's Black Panther. The film was a watershed moment in the history of black culture's global influence. It was also the first Marvel movie to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Just four years later, Lupita returned in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which earned more than $800 billion in the box office worldwide.

WEATHERING THE STORM