Hollywood actress Cynthia Erivo has addressed the ongoing discussions and memes surrounding her behavior during the ‘Wicked: For Good’ press tour and confirmed her decision about the Broadway adaptation of the musical.
Erivo has made it clear that she will not be taking on the role in the Broadway production, emphasizing her desire to avoid making a selfish choice, as reported by People magazine.
In a recent episode of ‘The View,’ she explained her reasoning: “I feel like it would be a little selfish. We’ve been given such a gift with this (film) version, and everyone is seeing it. It’s in everybody’s houses right now, and people can go to the cinema and see it.”
She elaborated that the success of the film opens up opportunities for other actresses to step into the role of Elphaba on Broadway. “What’s wonderful about this particular film now is that I think it provides more room for other women to go do (the role on Broadway),” she stated.
Erivo’s views on the film’s impact on increasing interest in Elphaba among actresses received positive feedback from the talk show hosts. Joy Behar remarked, “(It gives) someone else the opportunity,” while Sunny Hostin added, “That is so generous, so generous.” Behar also complimented Erivo, saying, “You’re not only wonderful, you’re a terrific person.”
Idina Menzel originated the role of Elphaba on Broadway in 2003. Since then, several actresses have portrayed the iconic character, including Stephanie J. Block, Shoshana Bean, Lindsay Mendez, and Jessica Vosk. Currently, Lencia Kebede holds the role, making history as the first Black actress to play Elphaba full-time on Broadway since her debut in March.
Cynthia Erivo won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her Broadway debut as Celie in the 2015 revival of ‘The Color Purple.’