Cynthia Erivo Speaks On Embracing Her Queer Black Identity For ‘Wicked’ Role: ‘It’s A Love Letter To Everyone Who Feels Different’

Cynthia Erivo Speaks On Embracing Her Queer Black Identity For ‘Wicked’ Role: ‘It’s A Love Letter To Everyone Who Feels Different’

Cynthia Erivo is opening up about how her identity as a queer Black woman inspired her performance in the recently released musical blockbuster Wicked.

During a promotional interview with Variety, the movie star was asked what it meant to be the second Black woman to portray the character Alphaba in a major production. Erivo stated in response:

“It’s pretty awesome. I feel like I’ve been given this incredible gift of a character whose raison d’etre is to show that all of your difference is what makes you special.”

She continued:

“That you can soar above anyone’s expectations, that you can be everything you’re meant to be, and that the search to finding that can be hard, but when it happens, it can be really freeing, really beautiful.”

 

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Erivo also shared her hope that the film uplifts those who “feel different,” adding:

“I hope it’s a bit of a love letter to everyone who feels different, who feels out of place, to all of the Black women who have walked into rooms and felt like they haven’t been welcomed. To anyone who’s walked into a room and felt like they haven’t been welcomed. I am really glad to be the conduit through which this character has been brought to the world.”

The movie, currently playing in theaters, explores the untold backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, and her unlikely friendship with Glinda, the Good Witch, before they became adversaries in The Wizard of Oz.

Will you be going to see the film?