Lupita Nyong’o Knew From Script That She 'Had to Be a Part' of 'Queen of Katwe'

— -- Lupita Nyong’o stars in the new film, "Queen of Katwe" -- based on a true story about a chess prodigy overcoming all odds.

The Oscar-winning actress plays the girl's fiercely protective mother and said today on "Good Morning America" that when she first read the script, she broke down just a few pages in and knew she "had to be a part of this film."

"On the pages. I found interesting, real complex, layered, inspiring characters," Nyong’o said. "I could tell that in less than 10 pages. I just knew I had to be a part of this film."

Nyong’o added, "It was such a rewarding labor of love ... to get to tell this true, inspiring story in Uganda, in East Africa where I'm from, and to do it with [director] Mira Nair, a woman of color who has lived there for over 20 years, who knows the place and really told the story from inside out."

"I'm very, very proud of this film," Nyong’o said.

This year, Nyong’o received a Tony nomination for best leading actress in a play for her role in "Eclipsed."

"That was a fully, immersive experience, being on Broadway for so long and having to do the same thing every day" she said. "I mean, it was so inspiring and I worked with such a great group of women, and to have taken that African story to a completely other side of the continent and brought it to New York, that was really amazing."

"Queen of Katwe" opens nationwide Friday.