The Stunning Transformation Of Cynthia Erivo

Only a select few people in the world can claim to be EGOTs — winners of an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony — but Cynthia Erivo is well on her way. If she wins an Oscar, she'll join the ranks of legends like Audrey Hepburn, John Gielgud, and Viola Davis.

Erivo already nabbed a Daytime Emmy in 2017 for a performance of a song from "The Color Purple" on "Today," a Grammy for her performance of the song "Stand Up" in "Harriet," and a Tony for Best Leading Actress in "The Color Purple." In 2020, Erivo received her first Oscar nomination for "Harriet." As of this writing, Erivo is set to take Hollywood by storm — in November, she'll star as Elphaba in the screen adaptation of the Broadway musical "Wicked" alongside Ariana Grande — so who knows? Her Oscar may not be too far off.

Over the past decade, you've watched Erivo rise up to become one of the most celebrated musical stars of her generation. But how did she get to this prestigious place?

Cynthia Erivo was born in Stockwell in South London. Her mother, Edith, a Nigerian immigrant, raised Cynthia and her sister, Stephanie, after their father left when Cynthia was 16. Her childhood was actually quite ordinary. In fact, she and her family have managed to maintain their normal London life in spite of her fame — her mother still lives in the house where Cynthia grew up.

"When I go back to London, I always go visit them, I sleep in the front room, we still eat ground rice," she told The Times in 2021. "Mum still makes puff-puff and akara. My best friend and I, when we go shopping, we still go to Primark!"

In an interview with The Standard, she stated that her London accent was also there to stay: "This accent's not really going anywhere," she said. It's clear that no matter where life takes her, she'll always be a London girl at heart.

Even though her family weren't performers, Cynthia Erivo knew that she wanted to act and sing as a young child. As she recounted to Variety, her mother claims she was humming to herself by 18 months old. When she was just 5 years old, she fell in love with being onstage while performing in a nativity play at her school — she was, as she told Glamour, "playing a shepherd in the nativity with a tea towel on my head singing 'Silent Night.'" She detailed in an interview with NME that her mother may have shed a tear or two. "That was the first time that I thought, 'ooh, this might be what I'm supposed to do,'" she said.

Singing always felt particularly magical, she told the Golden Globe Awards, even when she was a child. "It felt like I was flying," she said. "That's what it feels like when I sing because it feels like sitting in the center of joy."

When Erivo was just 11, she took to the stage, appearing on London's West End in "The Caucasian Chalk Circle."

Cynthia Erivo's passion for acting came at a young age, but breaking into the industry wasn't exactly easy. Luckily, her mother was there beside her every step of the way, encouraging her and championing her. As Erivo told Oprah Daily, her mother instilled in her a sense of "tenacity and drive." "She always knew I was going to be a performer," she said.

In 2020, Erivo dedicated an Instagram post to her mother, thanking her for her unwavering support over the years. "To the mother who raised me with almost nothing, made sure I wanted for nothing, built her own life and made sure I had everything I needed!!" she wrote. She went on to say that without her mother, she may never have come so far. "There was a time where you kept my dream alive, sometimes with a simple word," she wrote.

Despite her passion for performing, Cynthia Erivo didn't initially plan on studying acting in college. She actually hadn't even considered it as a child. "No one was like, well, we can go to drama school," she said to NPR. "No one gave me that option." She instead enrolled in a music psychology program at the University of East London. However, her drama tutor urged her to apply for London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA). "She forced me to put in the application form, and when I got in I realised that was where I was supposed to be," Erivo told The Guardian.

At RADA, she studied everything from classical theater to modern musicals — and musicals were where she excelled. "Some people were really wonderful at the classics and at Jacobeans," she told NPR. "And, you know, those kids that came from Eton who had read those things were brilliant at those things. But I wasn't that. My raw talent came from understanding music." Erivo graduated from RADA in 2010.

Cynthia Erivo began her career in London, acting mostly onstage. She appeared in productions at the Gielgud Theatre, Menier Chocolate Factory, and the Donmar Warehouse in London. As she explained to The Times, she often struggled to get auditions for screen work early into her career. "I could do theater shows, I could do West End — I could do that stuff," she said. "But I would never be seen for TV, ever." Sometimes, casting directors would even assume she wasn't from England.

Despite the lack of onscreen opportunities, Erivo excelled on the stage. In 2013, she landed the role of Celie in a small production of "The Color Purple. "Celie is a role that I have dreamed of playing since I was 10," she told theater critic Jonathan Baz that year. She went on to say that she would love to star in a TV series in the future.

While training at RADA, Cynthia Erivo began running. At first, it was because she had been doing strength training but didn't want to bulk up too much. However, as she explained to Runner's World, it soon became a form of release. "When you're in a class full of young actors, everyone's both hungry to get started and petrified, and running is a really good way to let some tension go," she said.

Throughout her career, running has been a constant. She ran to stay fit during her first run on Broadway in "The Color Purple." She encouraged her castmates to do the same. Once, she even ran a race on the same day as performing in two consecutive shows. In 2016, she ran her first marathon. In 2022, she ran her second marathon — naturally, she attended London Fashion Week just a few days later. "I made it, and I spent the entire next day in heels, so I felt quite accomplished!" she told Vogue. Is there anything she can't do?

After graduating from RADA, Cynthia Erivo realized that she needed a change. She admitted to herself that she had been using her hair as a form of disguise. "I was doing it for such a long time. I remember saying to myself, 'I'd like to walk into a room and have people just see my face,'" she said to Shape.

She went to the salon and asked her hairstylist to cut it all off. At first, the stylist refused, only cutting her hair short. However, she went back and insisted they shave her head completely. Finally, Erivo felt like her real self. "My beauty doesn't stem from how I do my hair," she reflected, adding, "Being powerful is every day finding what the most authentic version of yourself is that day and sticking with it, not allowing other people's perception of who you are or what you are sway you." 

Although Cynthia Erivo has aspirations of acting on television, she found herself whisked across the ocean by none other than Oprah Winfrey to reprise her role in "The Color Purple" on Broadway. She starred in the play from 2015 to 2017, winning a Tony for her work in 2016.

For Erivo, the experience was nothing short of life-changing. "I didn't know that it held so much gifting in it, whether it be discovering what kind of actress I could be or discovering the depth I could find onstage or just being able to have doors open that I didn't think would be open to me," she revealed in an interview on "CBS Mornings." "It's been a wonderful experience to be able to play this character in this role on Broadway for the first time."

After her success on Broadway, Erivo decided to make the United States her home. "[In LA] is where I've built my life," she said to Harper's Bazaar.

Cynthia Erivo landed another life-changing role when she starred in the 2019 film "Harriet" as the famous activist and abolitionist Harriet Tubman, who helped dozens of slaves escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad. Playing Harriet provided Erivo a new understanding of her own faith. "Taking on the role was a leap in and of itself. A leap of faith," she wrote in an essay for Guideposts. She went on to describe how her mother had raised her as a Christian and often prayed out loud in their house. 

Erivo even prayed while filming. "Prayer was always with us on the shoot," she said. She went on, "It was such an honor to portray [Harriet], but I couldn't have done it without my faith. Being Harriet meant being in God's continual presence. ... Playing this role changed my life too."

The role earned her not one but two Oscar nominations — one for Best Actress and one for Best Original Song. It was fitting and sweet that Erivo brought her mom with her to the awards show.

Cynthia Erivo took on yet another huge role in 2021, playing soul titan Aretha Franklin in "Genius: Aretha," a biopic series. It was another role that Erivo felt honored to take on, having been a fan of the Queen of Soul since childhood. 

To prepare for the giant responsibility of playing a legend like Aretha, Erivo spent hours upon hours researching the musician and studying her singing technique. "I would have to listen over and over again, just to catch the breaths that she would do, the breaks, the way she would move from one note to the other," she told The Times of her meticulous approach. 

Erivo's hard work paid off — she was nominated for an Emmy for her work on the show. At the time, she said she felt the spirit of Aretha was looking down on her. "I felt her give me a wink and go, 'Well done,'" she said to Entertainment Weekly and People on the red carpet.

Cynthia Erivo's career continued from strength to strength when, in 2021, she turned her attention to music and released her debut studio album, "Ch.1 Vs. 1." For Erivo, it marked a moment of self-expression — it gave her the chance to step out from behind her acting roles and simply be herself. "It's nice to sing MY songs, MY words," she said to The Standard. In an interview with The Seattle Times, she admitted, "I'm ready to share something about me and my life and who I am. It's like another part of my life I get to sort of see come to fruition. I've been wanting to do an album for a very long time."

Speaking to Kelly Clarkson, Erivo explained that the album was made during the pandemic, which meant she recorded much of it in others' houses. Erivo went on to explain that her record label let her make whatever music she wanted to. Indeed, as producer Will Wells told The Seattle Times, "It's her, and it's her voice on this album, and it's her heart."

In 2021, Cynthia Erivo told The Standard that she identified as queer. "I don't think anyone thinks of me as a person that has relationships that aren't platonic!" she joked. In a later interview with Vogue, she explained, "I feel like I knew it when I was around 15 but didn't know what to call it. ... I knew I was attracted to both men and women. I was attracted to people."

Although Erivo was in her mid-30s when she officially came out, she didn't see it as a massive deal. "I have never felt like I necessarily needed to come out — just because no one ever really asked," she told The Standard.

Nevertheless, as she later told Glamour, this openness about her sexual identity ended up feeling hugely empowering. "I'm really proud that I've come out," she reflected. "I feel more myself than I ever have; it's like a shear has been lifted from my person." Coming out also helped her focus on other things and simply enjoy life. "Nothing else is taking energy because it needs to be hidden or concealed," she said. "I don't need to do that, so I've got this extra burst of joy and energy."

When it comes to the world of musical theater, few roles are more coveted than Elphaba, the very green Wicked Witch of the West, in "Wicked." Ever since 2003 when Idina Menzel originated the role on Broadway, it's been the dream role of many musical theater actors. In 2023, Cynthia Erivo was the lucky (and deserving) actor who landed the role in the movie adaptation of the musical. 

For Erivo, the role really was a dream come true. "To play this role has been one of the roles of a lifetime, to be honest," she gushed to "Today" in 2024. "And it's very exciting and fun and wild and heart-wrenching."

Not only did Erivo land such an iconic role, but she also made a new friend in co-star Ariana Grande. "The connection that we've made is really special. ... She's got a family member for life now," she told Jimmy Fallon of their bond. It sounds like she really has been changed for good!

Cynthia Erivo may already have numerous awards under her belt, but starring alongside Ariana Grande in "Wicked" in 2024 is sure to rocket her to superstardom, not to mention provide her with another chance to secure an Oscar. When the first trailer for the film was released during the Super Bowl, it sent fans all over the world into a frenzy. When the film comes out, it's sure to be one of the biggest movie events of the year.

While Erivo knows the role will bring her more fame, she is mainly excited to bring "healing" to fans everywhere. "I desperately hope that when you finally see this film, you'll see you, you'll see me, you'll see Jon and Ari and our hearts laid bare, you'll see pain and joy and maybe just maybe you'll see a little spark of light that says, you are who you are for a reason and you are deserving of happiness and even though sometimes it might be hard to find, it is there for the taking," she wrote on Instagram. 

Erivo has always put her all into the characters she portrays, and we're sure "Wicked" will be no exception.