Is Hollywood holding back Lupita Nyong'o because of her looks?

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Just months ago, Lupita Nyong’o made history by becoming the first African woman to win an Academy Award. The 12 Years a Slave star won the Oscar for best supporting actress and has since become fashion’s new ‘it’ girl.

In April, Nyong’o received a major accolade from People magazine, being named the “World’s Most Beautiful” for 2014.

With that said, aside from a brief cameo appearance as a flight attendant in the action film Non-Stop, the 31-year-old actress has very few credits on her Hollywood resume.

Weeks ago, reports surfaced that Nyong’o entered early final talks to star as the mother wolf in the remake of The Jungle Book.

In the newest issue of Entertainment Weekly, Mark Harris addresses Nyong’o’s upcoming film role and her future as an actress in his article: Black star, white ceiling: Why can’t Lupita Nyong’o find a role worthy of her?

“Hollywood is handed a beautiful, talented, Yale School of Drama-trained actress of color, and what does it come up with? Well, let’s see … she could be an animal. In the Third World,” Harris writes. “When the people who make movies look at Lupita Nyong’o, they see a slave, a stewardess, and an ‘exotic.’”

During an interview with theGrio’s Chris Witherspoon, Harris, author of Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War, discussed the lack of dignified film roles for Nyong’o.

“Slave, steward, and exotic are literally her first three film roles. She was a stewardess in Non-Stop, she is an exotic of sorts in Jungle Book, and she was a slave in 12 Years,” Harris said.

“I can understand that because she doesn’t look like most Hollywood actresses, and because people have only seen her in one part, they don’t automatically have the answer of can she be an action heroin along the lines of Angelina Jolie? Could she do a romantic comedy? That should be explored.”

“I’m not condemning Hollywood for refusing to employ actresses of color. I don’t think that’s the case at all. I’m asking them to use their imagination more in considering them for roles that aren’t purely based on what they look like.”

Harris also discussed Shonda Rhimes and her influence on television and how many actresses of color, including Kerry Washington, Viola Davis, and Halle Berry, have turned to TV for Hollywood dreams to be realized.

Head over to Entertainment Weekly to read Harris’ article in its entirety. And pick up a copy of the new issue of Entertainment Weekly on newsstands now.

Follow Chris Witherspoon on Twitter at @WitherspoonC