10 Blockbuster Actors Who Seemingly Came From Nowhere

Lupita Nyong’o: Patsey – 12 Years a Slave (2012)

Solomon Northup’s memoir of being kidnapped and sold into slavery was a bestseller when it first appeared in 1853. Part of what was then the new ‘slave narrative’ genre, Northup’s account fuelled the national political debate that consumed America in the years leading up to the civil war. Translate this into the modern day, and we have a book of almost indescribable historical and social value. The film adaptation was in Oscar favourite territory before it had even had its final cut.

But it wasn’t just its faithfulness to the book that would bring 12 Years a Slave under such intense scrutiny. Hollywood did not, up to this point, have a very good  track record with slavery: 1915’s Birth of a Nation could not have been more racist if they had used white people in blackface (wait….), 1939’s Gone with the Wind popularized the role of black servants, 1977’s Roots was ground-breaking for its realistic depictions of slave conditions but was still considered to have been overly censored for easier viewing – even Spielberg’s Amistad (1997) devoted its storyline to the apparent integrity of the American justice system, rather than focussing on the black slaves, whose overtaking of the titular slave ship was the catalyst for the story in the first place. It was, in short, very important that America got 12 Years a Slave right.

Casting was, of course, essential. Director Steve McQueen cast Chiwetel Ejiofor for his ‘class and dignity’, and Michael Fassbender as he was already a trusted collaborator. But a big problem arose in the casting of Patsey. McQueen had seen more than a thousand actors for the role of Patsey (even if you auditioned one actor every ten minutes, and did this for twelve unbroken hours each day, you would be auditioning for over 14 straight days, just for one supporting part.) He wanted in Patsey a ‘majestic grace’, to ensure that her – and the viewer’s – dignity would be most effectively violated by her treatment. Finally, an audition tape arrived from Mexican/Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o.

Given that Nyong’o grew up in Kenya, it isn’t surprising that she was barely known at a national level, let alone an international one. Her approach to the industry had been a studious, academic one. Having gained her Bachelor’s degree in Film and Theatre Studies from Hampshire College, Nyong’o did something that these days is the equivalent of finding a unicorn, and actually got a job based on her degree, working on the production crews of several films. She then began a Masters in drama at Yale School of Drama – but lightning struck twice when her manager suggested that she audition for McQueen, this time before she had even graduated. She was given the role immediately. There are doctors who don’t get jobs that quickly.

Lupita Nyong’o defines the phrase ‘breakout star.’ With a name so new that interviewers and presenters had to practice it, Nyong’o’s portrayal of Patsey of course earned a veritable monsoon of award nominations and wins, and her striking beauty brought her the titles of People magazine’s ‘The Most Beautiful Woman’, and Glamour’s Woman of the Year.  That is one bar set well and truly high.