Lupita Nyong’o Instagram – One of the sweetest joys in life is watching your dear friends blossom, so let me take a moment to give it up for my heart blood, Saheem Ali (@saheemscene)🌻🌻🌻 In his directorial debut on Broadway this year, Saheem scored a Tony nomination for Best Direction of a Play for the tour-de-force, laugh-out-loud @fathambway. When I was 14 years old, Saheem and I met onstage in Kenya – he was Mercutio, I was Juliet. We didn’t become friends until 15 years later when we met in NY, both out of college and trying to figure out life as immigrants. We met up at a reading of a new play, and on our walk to get some tea (like true Kenyans), he opened up to me in an unprecedented way, and I followed suit. Our friendship grew steadily from that point. We’ve sprouted creatively, navigated life’s thorns, and branched out together in a way that has made my life better and brighter over the last decades. So today, join me in stopping to smell the roses in honor of Saheem and all the friends who help us belong, make us belly laugh, and inspire us to invest in ourselves and our dreams. 💗🌼 I love you, Saheem! Can’t wait to celebrate you tomorrow night at the #TonyAwards. 🌟