It’s an autumn day in New York, which prompts Cynthia Erivo to start singing the opening lines of the jazz standard of that name because, as I learn through our hour together, it does not take much prodding to get Erivo to break out in song. She serenades me with Marvin Gaye, Kate Bush and — wait, what’s that? Mike and the Mechanics?
"I did not picture you as a Mike and the Mechanics girl," I tell her. But then she reminds me of the ’80s ballad The Living Years, and soon we’re diving into its message about regret and unresolved conflict.
These musical interludes aren’t surprising. The British-born Erivo does, after all, have the lead role in the movie adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked, playing Elphaba, later known as the Wicked Witch of the West. In the first entry of a two-movie telling, Elphaba is a reserved, gifted young woman trying to hone her skills and maybe someday partner with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It’s also a story of female bonding when, after a rough start, Elphaba forms a bond with Glinda (Ariana Grande).
If, like millions of people, you’ve seen the stage musical, you know the rest. If not, you might be surprised about where it takes you.
Michelle Yeoh, who plays Elphaba’s mentor Madame Morrible, sees her co-star as a "kindred spirit, an artist still searching and wanting to learn". Erivo gets bonus points from Yeoh for holding her hand and calming her down with her "big beautiful eyes" when it came time to sing in the movie.
But this is a woman, I learn, who has no fear.
Q. There’s a story about you that sounds so nuts that I have to ask about it. Did you really run a half-marathon before doing a matinee and evening performance of The Color Purple?
True. I made myself a promise that if I was able to finish this marathon in Brooklyn with enough time to get home and get myself ready, I’d do it. I finished it in an hour, 37 minutes.
Q. How were the performances that day?
Painful ... but glorious.
Q. You were feeling it?
The first thing I do in the show is get down on my knees. And after you’ve been running that amount and you’ve never done it before, your body is like, "What the heck is going on?".
Q. How did you celebrate your birthday last year?
I was on set in a harness, flying, rehearsing stunts. The crew surprised me with a beautiful hat-shaped birthday cake. And then a friend and I went shopping.
Q. What did you bring to the scene where Glinda humiliates Elphaba, giving her that "hideodeous" black hat that she wears to the ball? It’s like the prom scene in Carrie, only Elphaba rises above the pettiness.
What I wondered when we were creating that scene is why she put the hat back on after it caused her so much hurt. And the only reason, I thought, is if she changed the reason for this hat, that it wasn’t just a gift any more, that it was mine, that it was meant to be mine and I can imbue it with power. And that dance she does is really her first spell, her first coming into herself.
Q. You said that while doing that solo dance, you felt a force field of love surrounding you from the cast and crew. You can actually feel that force field watching the movie.
It did feel like that. When I did it, it was deadly silent on set. And there is a part of you that’s fighting through it. All the moments of loneliness and heartbreak that I’ve felt myself, I just funnelled them into the scene. I went home, and I don’t remember the rest of the day. (Pauses) Why do I feel so emotional?
Q. What I am wondering, as Wicked is a story of a young woman finding a way into herself, is when you found your way?
There was definitely an agreement with myself in my early 20s to just walk into the room with as much of myself as I could possibly walk into the room with. It’s a journey. Right now, I feel more myself than ever. I’ve been able to claim my queerness, my blackness, even just shaving my hair and having my face being so shown.
Q. You said that making Wicked made you appreciate your face more. How so?
Someone said to me that I was going to fall in love with the green more than my own face. Strangely enough, the opposite happened. I loved being green. I think Elphaba is beautiful. But every time I took the make-up off, I had an appreciation for the skin I live in every day. I’ve always had appreciation for it, but this made it really clear.
Q. Is that why you reacted so strongly to the fan who altered the poster for the film in a social media post, hiding your face under Elphaba’s hat?
Having that passion for what this piece is and loving it so much and knowing how much I want to communicate through Elphaba, that’s probably where that came from. And so in my little human moment I had ... I fell out on the internet, when really I should have just picked up my phone and called a friend. We have these human moments. And me being human and sensitive, I shared something that I think is part of the little girl in me. I realise that there are so many people who love this just as much as I do.
Q. That moment seems very Elphaba. Any other traits you found really relatable?
We both lack patience, me more than her. I think we both have daddy issues. And we don’t mince our words, that’s for sure.
Q. What’s the best acting advice you’ve been given?
My acting teacher, Dee Cannon, taught me that my strongest suit was not the trope that most black women are given, which is the strong black woman. It was my vulnerability. And I have never looked back since. And you know, singing is one of the most vulnerable things you can do, so that applies there as well.
Q. How obsessive are you when it comes to taking care of your voice?
I think about it daily. I’ve been using it for such a long time and she — I call her "she" — has been really good to me.
Q. Does she have a name?
She doesn’t have a name. But she’s temperamental. (Pauses) I lie. She’s not temperamental, but she’ll tell me when she needs something. I’m a stickler for taking care of her. I always have water with me. I always have tea with me. There’s always a lozenge in my bag, just in case. And if it’s time to be quiet, it’s time to be quiet.
Q. What musician do you listen to most?
I’m very eclectic. I go on roundabouts, but I keep coming back to Kate Bush. My favourite album of hers is The Sensual World. I’ve been listening to that and my very favourite album, Marvin Gaye’s I Want You.
Q. Can you sing along with Kate Bush and all those high notes?
I can. My favourite song, because my sister and I used to sing it together, is Babooshka. I love the story on that one. On the outside, it feels so far away. But actually it’s the story of a woman trying to reconnect with her husband, who doesn’t recognise her anymore. So, she goes back to the thing that he recognises to see if he’ll find her again and he does. Heartbreaking.
Q. You’ve lived in LA for five years now. Have you acclimated to the city?
I like the space. I like the sunshine. It’s not necessarily a walking city, but I force it to be.
Q. How do you force it to be?
I might take risks. I try to walk as many places as I can, but often the only way is to go up Laurel Canyon, which is dicey because, essentially, it’s a big main road. There are very few sidewalks in LA, so I just hug the side of the road and hope for the best.
Q. How’s that working out for you?
You could say it’s just another way to get your heart going. And that’s what we’re all after, isn’t it? — TNS
