Where You've Seen Brilliant Wicked Star Cynthia Erivo Before
"Wicked," which just debuted its trailer during Super Bowl 50, features notable stars like Bowen Yang and Ariana Grande as its leads, yet Cynthia Erivo - not yet household name but likely visible somewhere without you realizing - might just surprise you as Elphaba! She may seem hard to recognize with all that green make-up covering her face - yet you might recognize her somewhere!
Erivo first rose to fame through her first major theater role: Celie Harris in a stage adaptation of 'The Color Purple.' Soon thereafter she appeared in both musical film Beyond the Lights and West End musical "I Can't Sing!"; its title belied her talents: she could indeed sing beautifully; this soon led her into bigger and better roles including Celie Harris again for which she won an Academy Award(r) nomination and later on the 2016 Tony Award(r) Award as Best Actress in a Musical!
Even if you don't regularly attend stage musicals, chances are good you have seen her in one of her many acclaimed film and TV roles.
From stage to screen
Erivo made her film debut with an impressive and critical-acclaimed performance in "Bad Times at the El Royale." That same year she made an impressionful cameo appearance as struggling single mother Belle in "Widows." Soon thereafter she played Harriet Tubman in 2019 biopic "Harriet", earning an Academy Award nomination as Best Actress while proving she could handle intense material.
In 2020 she appeared in an HBO miniseries adapting Stephen King's horror novel "The Outsider," followed by sci-fi flick "Chaos Walking". By 2021 she had reprised her musical career by portraying Aretha Franklin on an anthology series "Genius", as well as returning to it musically by recording her first studio album ("Ch. 1 Vs 1") for release later that same month.
Erivo immediately proved herself an outstanding choice as lead in "Wicked." With her powerful vocal range and striking appearance both on stage and camera, it was clear she would make for an exceptional lead actress in "Wicked." Throughout its trailer you can hear Erivo showcase her vocal talents by performing her iconic rendition of the hit musical's show-stopper song Defying Gravity that can be heard throughout its performance; no doubt Erivo deserves her spot alongside co-star Ariana Grande who makes up part of its success!
"Wicked" will hit theaters nationwide on Thanksgiving Day 2024.