Lupita’s First Awards Season Got A Fairytale Ending…But Don’t Call Her Cinderella
Lupita Nyong’o kicked off Women’s History Month by cementing her name in the books as the seventh Black woman to win an Academy Award. Her Best Supporting Actress win for “12 Year’s A Slave” comes 75 years after Hattie McDaniel became the first Black woman to win an Oscar (Best Support Actress in 1939′s “Gone With The Wind”). The award season darling, who also kicked off the month celebrating her 31st birthday (March 1) with an Independent Spirit Award win, accepted her Oscar looking like a modern day Cinderella in a custom Prada gown and gold-and-diamonds Fred Leighton headband. “It’s a blue that reminds me of Nairobi, and so I wanted to have a little bit of home,” she told E! News of her gown.
The Kenyan-born actress also admitted she didn’t know what the Oscars were until she hit college, but during her awards acceptance speech it was clear the importance of the honor was not lost on her. “It doesn’t escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is thanks to so much pain in someone else’s and so I want to salute the spirit of Patsey for her guidance,” she said, referring to her “12 Years A Slave” character and women like her.
Lupita also thanked members of the cast and crew of her film, which became the first the first picture from a Black director to win top honors in the 86 years of the Academy Awards.
And Not A Single Care Was Given…
No one in the audience looked like they gave less of a damn about “Hollywood’s biggest night” than Whoopi. Between the “View” stars facial expressions when the camera panned to her, to that, er… “Wizard Of Oz” tribute outfit, it’s safe to say that Whoopi had not a care to give (and that’s putting it lightly). But since she’s one of the few entertainers — and only Black entertainer — to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award so she gets an awards season pass for any foolery, off GP.
2014 Oscars: John Ridley Gives Steve McQueen The Cold Shoulder + 9 Other Unforgettable Moments was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
