Cynthia Erivo: Decade-long career on stage and screen | Explainer
Cynthia Erivo is getting her flowers for her latest role as Elphaba in the film adaption of the musical Wicked, with her star shining blindingly bright – so much so that it’s hard to believe her journey to stardom only began less than a decade ago.
Born in South London in 1987 to parents who escaped the Nigerian Civil War, her father was barely in the picture before he reportedly disowned her at age 16 in the middle of the school day.
Erivo, however, had the undying support of her mother Edith to guide her through her adolescent years no matter what. According to Erivo’s website, her mum said she knew Erivo was destined for fame when she would hear her daughter singing as she ate.
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Soon the Christian music her mum would always play around the house was suddenly being changed to the likes of Diana Ross, Boney M, Nigerian artist Sir Shina Peters and and Bette Midler’s Wind Beneath My Wings.
“So I was hearing everything all the time, and it never left me,” she said.
“It sort of came together and made one strange sound that comes from me. I was singing whatever I could sing wherever I could sing it – talent shows, open mic nights.”
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Though she began her higher education journey with a degree in music psychology – combining her passions with those of her mother and sister, who are both in the health field – one year into the degree she transferred to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, from which she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in acting in 2010.
Though she began her career in theatre that same year and, on London’s West End, played the role of Celie Harris Johnson in 2013’s limited run of The Colour Purple, it was when the musical was transferred over to Broadway in 2015 that she began to see more mainstream success.
Erivo won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, the 2017 Daytime Emmy alongside the cast for a performance on USA TODAY, and the 2017 Grammy for Best Musical Theatre album.
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She was also nominated for two Oscars in 2019 – one for Best Actress for her portrayal of Harriet Tubman in Harriet, and the other for Best Original Song Stand Up from the same film.
Barely a decade into her career, the star is only one award away from the coveted EGOT.
“It’s so strange, because I feel like I was leading right here without realising this is where I was heading,” she recently told Elle.
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Erivo has made a name for herself playing strong Black women, particularly historical ones such as Celie, Tubman, and Aretha Franklin in the 2021 National Geographic anthology series Genius: Aretha, for which she was nominated for an Emmy.
Away from the stage and screen, she is just as pronounced, known for her outgoing fashion sense as well as her many tattoos and piercings.
She believes it is an homage to her Black heritage to adorn the body, having started getting piercings as a teen – she now has around 23 on her ears and her body is covered in tattoos, some of which she has gotten matching with Wicked co-star Ariana Grande.
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“It has become a part of who I am and how I present myself to the world,” she told Fashion Magazine.
In contrast, she remains rather private about her personal life, particularly her relationships.
“I’m very tight-lipped with my relationships, ’cause I don’t think that my relationship is for anyone else but for me,” the 37-year-old recently told People
“I spend so much of my life sharing everything – whether it’s my work or my soul or my life in speeches. I think I give enough of myself that I’m allowed to keep something for me.”
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She has been linked to British singer and actor Dean John-Wilson, her ex Mario Martinez, and is reportedly currently dating actress and producer Lena Waithe.
Erivo identifies as queer and bisexual, coming out in the August 2022 British Vogue Pride issue, and practices Roman Catholicism.
The star is currently travelling the world to promote Wicked and will soon be seen painted green again when she takes on the role of Elphaba for the second part of the musical film.
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“I don’t believe that everything happens just by chance,” she told Elle about the life-changing role.
“I’m also aware of how much of a gift this is. I’m so glad for the experience, and I would do it again in a heartbeat, because I learned a lot about myself.”
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