To star in Queen of Katwe
Nyong’o is slated to star in director Mira Nair’s Queen of Katwe, based on the life of chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi. Nyong’o talks about how she was first introduced to Nair:
I was home for the summer and I was talking to my parents about my interest in film, and my dad said, ‘You know what? I have a friend who’s married to a director.’ I said, ‘Who?’ and he said, ‘her name is Mira Nair.’ I was like, ‘Daddy… Mira Nair is a big deal. How could you not have told me that you have connections with Mira Nair?’