In 2014, Nyong’o won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her role in "12 Years a Slave". She said her acting in "12 Years a Slave" was inspired by Michael Jackson and Whoopi Goldberg. Nyong'o was nominated for the British Film Academy’s Rising Star Award and on the cover of "Dazed & Confused" and "W" magazine's February 2014 issues. She was named the most beautiful in the world by PEOPLE magazine in April 2014.