--- title: This Is Who Lupita Nyong’o Will Play in The New Star Wars description: That Nyong’o is playing a digital character has long been rumored online canonical: https://time.com/3845835/lupita-nyongo-star-wars-name/ author: Entertainment Weekly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-04T19:42:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:04:11.251Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: This Is Who Lupita Nyong'o Will Play in the New "Star Wars" og:description: That Nyong’o is playing a digital character has long been rumored online og:url: https://time.com/3845835/lupita-nyongo-star-wars-name/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2d3500f34be5ea6d/6987ee3f0b72e358ff6e1df5/465446040-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=828&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Lupita Nyong'o arrives at the 2015 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills on Feb. 22, 2015. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Is Who Lupita Nyong'o Will Play in the New "Star Wars" twitter:description: That Nyong’o is playing a digital character has long been rumored online twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2d3500f34be5ea6d/6987ee3f0b72e358ff6e1df5/465446040-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=828&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Is Who Lupita Nyong'o Will Play in The New _Star Wars_ by [Christopher Rosen / Entertainment Weekly](/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## Christopher Rosen / Entertainment Weekly May 4, 2015 7:42 PM CUT  Lupita Nyong'o arrives at the 2015 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills on Feb. 22, 2015. Lupita Nyong'o arrives at the 2015 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills on Feb. 22, 2015.Anthony Harvey—Getty Images by [Christopher Rosen / Entertainment Weekly](/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## Christopher Rosen / Entertainment Weekly May 4, 2015 7:42 PM CUT As revealed in the June issue of _Vanity Fair_, [Lupita Nyong’o will play a motion-capture character named Maz Kanata](http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/05/star-wars-force-awakens-photos "undefined") in _Star Wars: The Force Awakens._ Per the magazine, Kanata is a pirate with no allegiances to either the Resistance (the new name for the Rebel Alliance) or the First Order (the new Empire). That Nyong’o is playing a digital character has long been rumored online. As far back as October of last year, [sites were reporting that the Oscar-winning star’s secret role might be of the performance-capture variety](http://www.starwarsunderworld.com/2014/10/source-episode-vii-aliens-will-be.html "undefined"). After the most recent _Force Awakens_ trailer was released, Uproxx senior writer Mike Ryan also speculated that Nyong’o’s character [was in possession of Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber](http://uproxx.com/movies/2015/04/star-wars-the-force-awakens-trailer-spoilers/ "undefined"). The other bits of news confirmed by _Vanity Fair_:[Adam Driver is indeed playing Kylo Ren](http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/05/star-wars-force-awakens-photos "undefined"), the film’s villain, while Gwendoline Christie stars as Captain Phasma, [aka the chrome Stromtrooper](http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/2015/05/gwendoline-christie-star-wars "undefined"). New photos of Driver, Nyong’o and co-star Oscar Isaac are [available over at _Vanity Fair_’s website](http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/05/star-wars-force-awakens-photos "undefined"). There’s also a behind-the-scenes video of the magazine’s photo shoot which can be watched below. _This_ [_article_](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/05/04/lupita-nyongo-maz-kanata-star-wars-force-awakens "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_EW.com_](http://www.ew.com "undefined")_._ ### Rare Photos of George Lucas Behind the Scenes of Star Wars  George Lucas and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) on the set of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope in a galaxy far, far away. Lucasfilm  Lucas gives direction to Sir Alec Guinness (Obi-Wan Kenobi) in Episode IV. Lucasfilm  Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) and Harrison Ford (Han Solo) sit around Lucas on the set of The Empire Strikes Back. Lucasfilm  Lucas with Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), along with Hamill and Ford on the set of Episode IV. Lucasfilm  Lucas directs Peter Cushing (Grand Moff Tarkin) and Carrie Fisher. Lucasfilm  Harrison Ford and Lucas share a moment in Endor on the set of Return of the Jedi. Lucasfilm  Lucas on set filming the opening scene of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. Lucasfilm  Lucas reviews concept art for Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. Lucasfilm  Lucas inspects a model pod racer for Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Lucasfilm  Lucas makes sure that the Death Star is fully armed and operational for Return of the Jedi. Lucasfilm  Lucas holds up Jango Fett's helmet. Lucasfilm  Natalie Portman (Queen Amidala) and Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) listen to Lucas' directions on the set of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Lucasfilm  Lucas directs a lightsaber battle between Ian McDiarmid (Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious) and Samuel L. Jackson (Mace Windu) on the set of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Lucasfilm  Lucas sets up camp next to a Bantha on the set of Episode IV. Lucasfilm  Lucas finds the droid he was looking for. 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