Strike a pose, Lupita! Breakout star Lupita Nyong'o landed her first cover of Vogue magazine, stunning on the front of the July issue.
The gorgeous cover, which was released on Thursday, June 19, shows the Oscar-winning actress, 31, in a figure-hugging printed Prada dress in shades of purple and red from the designer's Fall 2014 RTW collection.
Attention is drawn to Nyong'o's eyes with a subtle smokey eye, accented with a berry lip. Her look is accessorized with silver bangle bracelets and silver earrings.
The star is accompanied by a cover line reading "Her Incredible Breakout Year," reflecting the skyrocketing success she has seen since her role as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave, which earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
"I was really nervous about seeing myself in 12 Years a Slave because it had been such a profound experience in all ways," Nyong'o told Vogue about her emotionally raw role in the drama. "I remember it being one of the most joyful times in my life—and also one of the most sorrowful. I didn’t want my experience to be a vain one. But I will say that when I watched it, my heartstrings were pulled so tight for [the main character] Solomon that I couldn’t go into the ego trip. I cried—I mean, I was inconsolable. I wept for an hour after the movie."
In the months since, her acting chops have solidified her career and her red carpet looks have made Nyong'o a celebrated style darling, landing a campaign with Miu Miu, and making her the first African-American face of Lancome cosmetics. Her upcoming projects include a role in Star Wars Episode VII, a rumored part in Southpaw with Rachel McAdams and Forest Whitaker, and an adaptation of the critically acclaimed novel Americanah, which she will produce and star in.
Nyong'o is fully aware of her abrupt rise to fame after years spent working on smaller projects and earning her master's degree from the Yale School of Drama. "It just feels like the entertainment industry exploded into my life," she told Vogue in her cover interview. "People who seemed so distant all of a sudden were right in front of me and recognizing me—before I recognized them!"
The Mexican-born Kenyan actress went on to add of the first time she was snapped by paparazzi, "For a split second I looked behind me to see who they were flashing at—and it was me! That was, I think, the beginning of the end of my anonymity."
