“Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo talks to USA TODAY about her inspiring new book, “Simply More.”
‘Wicked: For Good’ Trailer: Elphaba Defies Gravity Again
Oscar nominees Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will reprise their roles as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, in the musical sequel Wicked: For Good.
- Cynthia Erivo’s new conversational memoir, Simple More, will be published on November 18th.
- The actress will return as the witch Elphaba in the film sequel “Wicked: For Good” on November 21st.
- Could the new “Wicked” finally win her an Oscar (and her EGOT)?
Cynthia Erivo’s new book is as singular as she is.
While many celebrity memoirs are a no-nonsense account of the highs and lows of their careers, Simply More (out November 18th) reads like a warm, lively conversation between old friends. Throughout the book, Erivo uses her own life experiences as a mirror for readers to reflect on themselves, asking questions such as “Who raised you?” “What magic did you discover when you were young?”
“That’s how I’ve always written,” Erivo, 38, said over Zoom on the eve of the Brazilian premiere of “Wicked: For Good” (in theaters Nov. 21). The British actress aims to provoke thoughtful discussion without getting too bogged down in formality or cliché.
“One of the first chapters I started writing was about my father,” Erivo says. It started as a list of realizations, and “eventually became a poem,” he says. “It just came naturally because I didn’t want to limit myself in any way.”
Cynthia Erivo conveyed to Elphaba the “pain” of being abandoned by her father
In Simply More, Erivo writes candidly about her decades-long estrangement from her father, who disowned her when she was 16 after an argument at a London train station. She reflected on the “bizarre irony” of having a gap in her front teeth despite both being able to sing, and said: “I’m okay with the fact that we’re not in a relationship, because the truth is we don’t need it.”
Erivo also describes his deep connection to Wicked heroine Elphaba, who also longed for her father’s love and approval.
“I’m sure time and therapy helped heal that, but going through the process of this role made it very clear to me that this was what I was trying to get,” Erivo says. “Being able to use Elphaba to relieve some of that pain was a really healthy thing and really helpful for me. It crystallized what I’ve been going through, and I’m glad I finally found a place to put it all.”
In other emotional chapters, Erivo writes about her journey with queerness. The confusion and heartbreak of trying to bury my sexuality as a teenager, and not dating a woman until my late 20s. Erivo’s mother and sister have struggled with her coming out, and Erivo said it’s an area she’s “still navigating.” But she has learned to give them patience and grace while being unapologetically herself.
“The time it takes you to get to a place where you accept yourself is also the time you have to give to others,” Erivo says. “This is the new normal. They still love me and want to be there for me. It’s important to give all parts of me space to adjust.”
‘Wicked: For Good’ star brings ‘dignity and hope’ to all characters
Throughout the book, Erivo talks about the blatant racism and stinging microaggressions she has encountered throughout her life. In one shocking example at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she was told to sing behind a curtain while her white classmates lip-synced her voice. And when she appeared as Celie in the musical The Color Purple in London, she recalled that critics complained that the stage show “didn’t have enough violence” and that her resilient character wasn’t as “gray” and “decrepit” as she had endured years of abuse.
The show explored how Erivo will approach all of her future characters, including her Oscar-nominated roles as Harriet Tubman in Harriet and Elphaba in Wicked.
“They are going through so much pain that all I can do is instill real dignity and hope in them,” Erivo said. “Sometimes the people who have the most joy are the ones who have the most pain, because that’s all they have to hold on to. Celie was one of those characters who really believed in always looking for bright moments in life, because there aren’t that many in life. Why doesn’t she laugh? Why doesn’t she take care of herself as best she can?”
“It’s always baffled me that someone who is going through something is actively trying to find a way to not feel that way, yet people want to see her get stomped on.”
Cynthia Erivo pokes fun at the ‘darkness’ and ‘sexuality’ of her solo play ‘Dracula’
Erivo has been traveling the world promoting “Wicked: For Good,” and awards experts predict she will be nominated for another Oscar. She’s already three-quarters of the way to EGOT, having won an Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award for “The Color Purple.”
Next up, she will star in the film adaptation of Jodie Comer’s Tony Award-winning play Prima Facier and lead her own one-woman play Dracula, which opens in London in February. Erivo appears as one of 23 characters in the play, directed by Kip Williams (The Picture of Dorian Gray).
“Kip and I have had great conversations about desire, shame, darkness, and what Dracula can really represent,” Erivo says. “Humans are ashamed to talk about sexuality and sex in general. This is an opportunity for us to open the door wide open about how it affects people.”
The show comes on the heels of Erivo’s critically acclaimed performance as Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, which drew backlash from conservative critics for casting a queer black woman as the savior. With each new role, from Elphaba to Jesus to Dracula, Erivo wants to change the perception of who can play which characters and make people rethink about iconic figures.
Although she doesn’t have any big plans for what the future holds, Erivo says there are “little clues” floating around “in the conversations I have and the music that keeps playing.” “Action, drama and romance are always something that keeps me showing myself. I feel like that could be the next step in my life.”
