Lupita Nyong'o Didn’t Know She Was Auditioning for ‘Star Wars’

On Ellen Tuesday, actress Lupita Nyong'o stopped by to talk about her role in the new film Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Nyong’o revealed that at the time she auditioned, she had no idea what movie it was for. “I really didn’t know what I was auditioning for. I knew I was going in for J.J. [Abrams], but I was so busy” she explained.

Turns out she won her Oscar for 12 Years a Slave the same week she auditioned, so the whole experience was a whirlwind.

Two months after she went in to meet with Abrams, he offered her a role in the film that was motion capture, which she quickly accepted. Nyong’o went on to describe the arduous process involved with creating an entire character using motion capture technology. It took upwards of two and a half hours to place the various capture sensors on her face, with some additional unexpected consequences.

See how Nyong’o and fellow cast mates reacted to seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens for the first time.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens Friday.