As the NYC Mayorial race heats up, Lupita Nyong’o gave a glowing endorsement of candidate Zohran Mamdani.
Nyong’o said that she worked Mamdani on the set of the 2016 movie Queen of Katwe.
Taking to Instragram, Nyong’o shared pictures of Mamdani on the set of the film which directed by his mother, Mira Nai.
“We met when he was just 14 during my internship at his mother’s production company, Mirabai Films. After a month of hearing his name mentioned, I found myself curious about this boy. … The young man before me was present, warm, and respectful,” Nyong’o wrote. “He greeted everyone, introduced himself to me with genuine eye contact and a smile.”
Nyong’o noted there was “no trace of entitlement” to him, and that he was “down-to-earth” as an assistant director on Queen of Katwe, which was filmed in Uganda.
“The boy I’d met had matured, but his warmth, presence, and engagement remained,” she continued. “He proved nimble, resourceful, and adept at navigating both American and Ugandan set cultures. He managed an ever-changing community of cast and crew with grace, easing tensions as they arose and maintaining remarkable calm under immense pressure.”
Nyong’o also said that a production assistant director requires “a particular skill set.” One has to translate the director’s vision “into actionable steps.”
“Zohran did all of this with the affable spirit we’ve all come to know and love,” she wrote. “He was focused, dedicated, and passionate about the work. Whether on our film set or in politics, Zohran has always been an incredibly talented and productive person. When he told me he was running for State Assembly in Queens, I wasn’t surprised—I was impressed.”
Nyong’o said by Mamdani taking a”challenging, often thankless path,” he proved that he “believed he had something to offer the people of the city he grew up in and loved so deeply.”
Anyang’ Nyong’o, Nyong’o’s father, is a Kenyan politician who currently serves as the second governor of Kisumu County.
“Having grown up with a father in politics myself, I knew the road wouldn’t be easy,” she added.
Nyong’o says she sae “the same glint his eyes” when he spoke about his political career that she saw when he worked as an assistant director.