Zain Asher, a financial news reporter with CNN broke down with pride during a television interview after learning that her brother, Chiwetel Ejiofor, has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. British actor, Ejiofor, 36, is up against Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale, Bruce Dern and Leonardo DiCaprio for the award. Zain Asher's heartfelt reaction surprised her colleagues - not least because many didn't even know she was related to the 12 Years a Slave actor. Zain Asher became emotional as she spoke about her brother and his years of hard work.
'This is a day my family has been hoping and waiting for for such a long time,' Asher, a financial news reporter, told fellow CNN host Carol Costello after the network got wind of the connection.
'He’s been acting since he was thirteen years old, and he's worked so hard for this.' As she described how her brother would spend hour after hour reciting lines of Shakespeare in his bedroom, she became emotional with pride.
'Chiwetel - he's been acting since he's 13 years old and - oh my god! I told myself I wasn't going to cry,' she said through tears and laughter. 'I do feel so emotional now.'
She added: 'He's someone who's really dedicated and an actor's actor. He's been acting for over 20 years, and so to finally see recognition for his work - I can't even describe the feeling.'
The 36-year-old English actor has worked on many box office hits in the past - from Love Actually to American Gangster - but 12 Years a Slave has garnered him new recognition. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe for his depiction of the film's lead character, Northup, but he missed out to Matthew McConaughey.
He will battle McConaughey, who starred in Dallas Buyers Club, again for the Best Actor Oscar on March 2, as well as Christian Bale, Bruce Dern and Leonardo DiCaprio.
'There's so many amazing actors and so he's in good company,' Asher said. 'I wasn't really sure when I was watching the nominations what was going to happen.'
She said that her brother, who is in bed getting over an illness, was also unsure about his likelihood of getting a nomination.
'When we spoke last night he was a little bit nervous because there were just so many amazing people nominated this year,' she said.
Ejiofor released a statement following his nomination.
'At no point during filming, in the sweltering heat of New Orleans, did any of us ever foresee the journey this film would take us all on,' he said.
'Steve McQueen created an entire family to tell one man's tale and I am delighted that so many of this family have also been recognized today. I am hugely grateful to the Academy for this great honour, and, of course, to Solomon Northup for sharing his story through his breathtaking book.'
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