The actor tapped to play Elphaba is a superstar in her own right.
Elphaba has been brought to life on the big screen by none other thanthe stunning Cynthia Erivo.
Here’s why the actor who plays Elphaba in “Wicked” looks so familiar.
Goldberg was a co-producer of the production, and she clearly was satisfied with Erivo’s casting.
Erivo had her own reasons to be excited.
Erivo proved to be magic on stage.
The reviews of her performance were nothing short of outstanding, with theatergoers especially dazzled by Erivo’s voice.
Her work in “Sister Act” sent Erivo on her way to further success in musical roles.
Goldberg, who played Celie in the movie, earned an Oscar nomination for her performance.
And the experience was equally as special for Erivo.
“Everything just clicked,” she said.
“Things in the best way got out of hand.”
Erivo also noted amid the whirlwind just how determined she was to succeed.
“I genuinely want everything,” she said.
I cast Cynthia in her first ever TV role.
I gave you a whole one line."
In that same interview, Erivo added, “I was very pleased with my one line!”
“I didn’t feel nervous because it was hers.
I felt really comfortable with her being there.
I felt safe,” she said of the switch.
The role also sparked a friendship between Erivo and Coel.
The actor was especially grateful for her cast in the production.
“To every single person in my cast, you are magnificent,” she said in heracceptance speech.
The theater star won an Emmy and a Grammy for contributions to the production.
“Because I’m realizing I’m going.”
The actor began remedying this issue by taking on various live television gigs.
Erivo also made an appearance on a couple of notable reality competition series.
“He’s wonderful,” Erivo said of Harmon after their duet.
Two years later, she received her first two Oscar nods for her contributions to the film “Harriet.
“In the movie, Erivo played the titular civil rights activist Harriet Tubman.
The cast also included Janelle Monae, Leslie Odom Jr., and Joe Alwyn.
The role was no easy task given the weight of the legacy of the woman Erivo was portraying.
The acclaimed actor quickly discovered that playing Tubman required her to push herself both spiritually and physically.
“She was strong, powerful.
Lots of trips to the gym.”
However, all questions about the choice seemed to dissipate when audiences saw the film.
She received an Oscar nomination for best actress.
“Stand Up,” which she co-wrote for the movie, also was up for best original song.
Cynthia Erivo played another important figure in Genius
Cynthia Erivo is plenty familiar with playing icons.
Erivo landed the project in quite a serendipitous way.
After seeing the clip, the producers of “Genius” asked Erivo to play Franklin.
She was later nominated for an Emmy for her work in the series.
This all seemed to be written in the stars.
Aside from “Ain’t No Way” being Erivo’s favorite song, the actor once met Franklin.
After The Queen of Soul saw Erivo in “The Color Purple,” the two met backstage.
Despite the reception, Erivo was proud of her work in “Pinocchio.”
“I was like, ‘Oh!
I have my good witch fairy moment and now we’re heading to Elphaba.’
And I kind of love the two-four of it,” Erivo toldEntertainment Weekly.
“This is the good and what wethoughtwas evil.
But I love that they’re so different.
They’re very, very different characters, but they both have pragmatism in them.”
As for what’s next for Erivo?
Well, we have a sneaking suspicion her career will only continue to defy gravity.
