Lupita Nyong’o Tweets Behind-the-Scenes Video of ‘Force Awakens’ Performance

While attempting to portray the wise, computer-generated Maz Kanata in The Force Awakens, Lupita Nyong’o apparently got some pro-tips from someone who knows a little about motion capture performances: Andy Serkis.

Nyong’o has tweeted a short clip from an extra on the upcoming Force Awakens Blu-ray that shows Serkis — known for his work as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings series, and as the evil Supreme Leader Snoke in The Force Awakens — giving on-set pointers to Nyong’o. The Oscar-winning actress seems to take naturally to the world where human performance and computer trickery meet, persuasively acting out her role while her face and body are fully outfitted with mo-cap markers and small cameras are anchored to the top of her head.

“To me, the magic was when we were doing Maz,” Roger Guyett, visual effects supervisor and second unit director, says in the clip. “You saw Lupita just make that character come to life.” You can see a little of that for yourself in the video below. The Force Awakens is out on digital HD on April 1 and Blu-ray April 5.