LOS ANGELES (AP) — After a whirlwind of awards season attention for Lupita Nyong'o ended with a best supporting actress award at Sunday's Oscars, the "12 Years a Slave" star honored the character that put her on stage.
"Thank you to the academy for this incredible
recognition. It doesn't escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is
due to so much pain in someone else's," she said, referring to Patsey, the
tortured slave she played in director Steve McQueen's wrenching 19th-century
drama.
She credited McQueen for bringing attention to a dark
chapter in American history and the victims of slavery.
"I'm certain the dead are standing about you and
watching," she said, a sentiment she expanded on backstage.
"I think he's really honored a people that really have
been unsung for a really long time in doing this film," she said.
Nyong'o, who has talked about learning as a child to accept
her dark-skinned beauty, said she hoped her success would inspire other
youngsters.
Actress Lupita Nyong'o accepts the Best Performance by an
Actress in a Supporting Role award for '12 …
"When I look down at this golden statue, may it remind
me and every child, no matter where you're from, your dreams are valid,"
she said.
Nyong'o had been considered a front-runner in a category
that included Sally Hawkins, "Blue Jasmine"; Jennifer Lawrence,
"American Hustle"; Julia Roberts, "August: Osage County";
and June Squibb, "Nebraska." Among other awards, Nyong'o claimed a
Spirit Award on Saturday, the day she turned 31.
But she appeared shocked when her name was called Sunday.
She bent over in her seat, then rose, still looking stunned, as the audience
erupted with cheers and a standing ovation.
"No, no, no," she said backstage, when asked if
she could have imagined receiving the honor. "I'm a little dazed. I can't
believe this is in my hands. I can't believe this is real life."
Unlike supporting actor winner Jared Leto, who passed his
Oscar for "Dallas Buyers Club" around to a roomful of reporters,
Nyong'o cradled her trophy close to her elegant, ice-blue Prada gown. She
referred to it as her "young man" at one point.
Nyong'o, who was born in Mexico and is of Kenyan descent,
was honored for her film debut. Her parents are prominent in their own right:
Her father, Peter Anyang' Nyong'o, was an advocate for democratic reform in
20th-century Kenya and is now a senator, while her mother, Dorothy Nyong'o, is
the director of the Africa Cancer Foundation.
She has said her parents are taking her fame in stride, but
acknowledged a special moment with her father Sunday.
"I saw him after I got this young man, and he hugged me
and he said, 'Thank you,'" she said.
The 86th Academy Awards aired on ABC from the Dolby Theatre
in Los Angeles, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres.
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