Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Margot Robbie, Michelle Obama, Amy Schumer and … Ruth Negga?

The Irish-Ethiopian actress has joined the ranks of those major names by becoming US Vogue‘s January 2017 cover star.

This despite only having a handful of small supporting TV and movie roles under her belt.

However, Negga, 34, will soon become a household name when her film Loving, also starring Australian actor Joel Edgerton, hits cinemas in March 2017.

Negga and Edgerton are both hot favourites to win the Best Actress and Best Actor Oscars for their work portraying Richard and Mildred Loving, a real-life interracial husband-and-wife pair whose love story led to a lengthy court battle and even imprisonment after they illegally married in 1958.

While she’s a worthy choice for the Vogue cover, Negga was an unusual one given the prestigious masthead typically opts for major stars with large fan bases, to ensure sales.

It’s a big gamble for the publication and Negga also seemed surprised by the sudden spike in attention.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the London-based thespian was asked to name one thing most people might not know about her.

“I don’t know – I don’t think anyone knows who I am!” was her refreshing response.

In fact, according to Vogue, Negga has such a low profile that Loving’s director Jeff Nichols kept encountering the same question when seeking financing for the film: “Who’s Ruth Negga?”

That’s not to say Negga has been an overnight sensation – she’s slowly built a career around small but brilliant parts in films like 12 Years a Slave, World War Z and the TV series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

“I have not been aggressive in my pursuit of being a star,” she told The Guardian. “I’ve never had a plan. Maybe I need to be more aggressive, because it’s quite tough!”

Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton in Loving, set to be released in March 2017. Photo: Focus Features

Negga had unique beginnings far from the red carpets of Hollywood – she was born to an Irish mother and Ethiopian father in Addis Ababa.

After her father died in a car accident, Negga moved to Ireland and then later to London, where she became more aware of her unique background.

“I remember thinking, I’m just me,” she told Vogue. “When you’re a kid, you’re just you, aren’t you? It was when I moved to England that I felt it, because I was Irish and black.

“People have always made assumptions about me … I become very territorial about my identity because it’s been hijacked by so many people, with their own projections.”

According to The New York Times, Negga’s performance in Loving can be summed up in two words – “a revelation”.

She ditches her slight Irish accent for an American one and adopts the quiet strength of Mrs Loving, whose battle to be with the man she loved shaped American history.

According to Rolling Stone reviewer Peter Travers, “Joel Edgerton as Richard and Ruth Negga as Mildred give performances that will be talked about for years”.

Ruth Negga’s red carpet style while promoting Loving has been imaginative, colourful and ever-changing. Photo: Getty

“The stabbing simplicity of Negga’s acting is breathtaking,” Travers declared.

Add to that the fact she’s humble, genuinely funny, beautiful and already a pro at nailing red carpet style and we’ve got a bona fide star on our hands.

Kudos to Vogue for being the first to stand up and take notice.

Watch the trailer for Loving, in cinemas March 9, 2017