Actress Cynthia Erivo has revealed how she was turned green to play the iconic role of Elphaba in the long-awaited musical adaptation of Wicked alongside Ariana Grande.
The star, 37, revealed that she had to undergo an huge transformation each day for the role and it could take up to four hours to cover her in paint as she confirmed that no CGI was used in the making of the highly-anticipated movie.
“When you put the costume on, when you put the shoes on and we’re supported by all these artists, it just takes it to the next level,” she revealed on a new NBC programme titled Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked.
“Something happens when all of that green in on. The freckles go on, the hair goes on, the make-up goes on, the eyes go on and it’s not me I’m looking at, it’s her,” she added.
Cynthia has been in the headlines for all of the right reasons as of late thanks to her upcoming role in the movie Wicked, which releases in cinemas this Friday (November 22). The actress plays the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba Thropp as she adds yet another iconic role to her filmography.
Last week, Cynthia, Ariana Grande and Jeff Goldblum were among the Hollywood ensemble who arrived at the Royal Festival Hall in London to show off the expected-to-be blockbuster hit.
Cynthia ditched her staple look from previous premieres and opted fro a flashy black dress with a ruffled design. The attire offered a thigh-high split with shimmering copper detail, while she wore bicep length gloves and a flamboyant headpiece to tie it all together.
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For the plot, the story takes place in the Land of Oz and follows the pals as they take on life-changing events. It was initially written by Gregory Maguire, with Jon M Chu the director behind the latest offering.
Cynthia first gained recognition for starring in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple from 2015 to 2017 for which she won numerous accolades including the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
After her incredible career on stage, she turned her attention to films and starred in movies including Widows, Bad Times at the El Royale and as The Blue Fairy in Pinocchio. She made her television debut in 2015 in British sitcom Chewing Gum before going on to star in psychological thriller series The Outsider in 2020.
The following year she portrayed the icon Aretha Franklin in anthology series called Genius for which she received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress.
The actress released her debut album Ch, 1 Vs. 1 in 2021 which peaked at number 77 in the US album charts. She released two singles from the album that year, titled The Good and Glowing Up but both failed to chart.
In 2018, featured on a song called God Only Knows with John Legend which charted at number 20 in the US R&B charts. Her first song as a lead artist that appeared in the music charts was from the Beyond The Lights movie soundtrack.
