Lupita Nyong'o: 'Daniel Kaluuya has already won the Oscar in my eyes'

Lupita Nyong'o already considers her Black Panther castmate Daniel Kaluuya a winner after his Academy Awards nomination.

The Kenyan-Mexican actress, who plays spy Nakia in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film, took time out at the London Black Panther premiere on Thursday (08Feb18) to pay tribute to the actor, who has been nominated for an Oscar for his performance in hit horror movie Get Out.

Lupita, who won an Oscar for her role in 12 Years a Slave in 2014, believes Daniel's chances against fellow nominees Gary Oldman, Daniel Day-Lewis, Denzel Washington and Timothee Chalamet, are “very high” and declared that he “has it in her eyes” regardless of the outcome when he competes for the prize at the 4 March ceremony.

“I love that film. I watched it five times in one month when it came out and we were working on this at the time – he did such an exemplary job," the 34-year-old gushed, in an interview with ITV London. "Even the very fact he’s been nominated for it considering it came out last February - he has stood the test of time.”

Daniel, who stars in Black Panther as W'Kabi, appeared on British show This Morning on Friday to promote the new Marvel movie alongside Letitia Wright, who plays Black Panther’s sister Shuri, and shared his initial response to hearing about his Best Actor Oscar nod was to go topless.

“It was surreal. To be honest, I took my top off," he smiled. “I was so hot, it was crazy. I was walking around for four hours without my top on."

He continued: “I did an indie horror film and I did it because I believe in it and it was truthful to me.

"It spoke about things that are important to me and my friends and so for it to be recognised by the people who watch it in cinemas first and then by cinephiles, it was mind blowing. I’m proud the whole film got nominated.”