Cynthia Erivo reflects on shaving her head for ‘Wicked’ role

WASHINGTON: Cynthia Erivo, Oscar nominee and star of ‘Wicked: Part One’, recently shared her experience of shaving her head to play Elphaba in the film.

Speaking at the Canva Create event at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Erivo described the moment she first saw herself with a shaved head as “open and vulnerable,” according to People magazine.

Erivo expressed her liking for the simplicity of having no hair and said, “I like how much of a black canvas it is, and I like that there’s nothing but my eyes.” She also mentioned feeling more “in my body, in myself” since shaving her head.

Erivo shared her hair journey, revealing that she used to get her hair braided in different colours. She recalled a particular hairstyle with white and red braids. “You couldn’t tell me that it wasn’t the best hairstyle I had ever done,” she said, according to People magazine.

Cynthia Erivo reacts to being cast as Elphaba in WICKED.

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— Wicked Updates (@GalindaHQ) December 19, 2024

However, as she grew older, Erivo decided to cut her hair short, wanting people to see her face when she entered rooms. Erivo praised hairstylist Sim Camps, who helped her perfect the iconic wig Elphaba wears in the film.

Camps contacted a wig maker who had worked with Erivo 12 years ago, and together they created a wig that looked like it was growing out of Erivo’s scalp. “We turned the lace on the wig green. We died it a very light green, so that when it was on me, and I had a high grade scout, yeah, it disappeared,” Erivo remembered.

Erivo also discussed her approach to acting, emphasising the importance of understanding and empathising with the characters she plays.

“I want to know who the character is,” she said, adding, “A lot of the times it’s nothing to do with the entire project. It’s often to do with who the person I’m being asked to play is, if I’ve met them, if I like them or not, sometimes if I don’t like them, that’s also the challenge to find empathy for the person that I might be playing.”

Erivo expressed her desire to push boundaries in her work, whether it’s through singing or acting, according to People magazine. “Is it going to make me work harder than I normally do? Is it going to make me challenge how much I can do? Is it going to make me push at the edges of the boundaries that I think I might have?” she asked.

Playing Elphaba in ‘Wicked’ was one such experience, where Erivo discovered new possibilities in portraying the character. ‘Wicked: For Good’, the sequel to ‘Wicked: Part One’, is set to hit theatres on November 21. Erivo will reprise her role as Elphaba in the upcoming film. (ANI)