Keith Girard
Lupita Nyong’o scored a breakout role in Steve McQueen’s epic 12 Years a Slave. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
Northup managed to escape and wrote a book about his experience.
Ejiofor plays Northup in the film adaptation directed by Steve McQueen. The powerful story is already generating Oscar talk for Ejiofor, Nyong’o and Oprah Winfrey.
Oprah returns to acting after her breakout role in the 1985 movie, “The Color Purple.”
Nyong’o, 30, is also being hailed for her breakout role in her big-screen debut. She plays Patsey, a slave who endures terrible physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her master, played by Michael Fassbender.
The cast also includes Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sarah Paulson and Kelsey Scott.
Pitt plays a Canadian abolitionist who befriends Northup during his ordeal. He and Fassbender are shooting a new World War II-era movie “Fury,” in Great Britain and didn’t make the premiere at the Directors Guild Of America last night (Oct. 14).
Nyong’o, born in Mexico and raised in Kenya, studied at the Yale School of Drama before landing her role in the movie.
Chiwetel, who is English, hit the red carpet with girlfriend Sari Mercer.
The picture goes into wide release Oct. 18, after well-received screenings at Telluride and New York Film Festivals.
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| Lupita Nyong’o Dazzles at 12 Years a Slave Premiere |
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