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LOS ANGELES, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Lupita Nyong'o says Star Wars: The Force Awakens was shrouded in secrecy from the beginning. The 32-year-old actress discussed the forthcoming film on Tuesday's episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Nyong'o said the mystery surrounding the movie was so great she didn't know what she was auditioning for back in March 2014.
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"It was crazy," she said. "I didn't really know what I was auditioning for. I knew I was going in for [director] J.J. [Abrams] ... I didn't [know it was for Star Wars]. I don't believe I did. [They just said Abrams is] working on a big movie."
"There was a script from something else," she explained. "They give you a substitute script and you have to use that ... Two months later I was in Morocco on holiday and [Abrams] called me at my hotel and said, 'I have this motion capture role that I'm considering you for. Are you interested?'"
Nyong'o will portray a new character, the pirate Maz Kanata, in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The actress told Refinery 29 this month she is "thriving" off the secrecy of the role, revealing only that Maz has "a colorful past" and is "a strong character."
"I feel really honored to be a part of this," she added. "To play any small role in it is an honor and a blessing, and it's something I just never dreamed of being a part of ... So the fact that I'm a part of it and I get to witness it from this other side is really, really, really cool."
Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in theaters Friday, Dec. 18. The movie features returning stars Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill in addition to newcomers Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Adam Driver.
