This Black History Month, I’m sharing art, songs, movies, and other creative expressions from and about Black women that spark joy for me. Because Black women are often not remembered for their contributions, I thought this would be one way to give flowers to those who inspire me.
For Day 24, I’m giving flowers to the magnificent Cynthia Erivo.
Born to Nigerian parents in London, the singer and actress’s full name is Cynthia Chinasaokwu Onyedinmanasu Amarachukwu Owezuke Echimino Erivo. She made her Broadway debut playing Celie in The Color Purple (still my favorite version of Celie), and is just an Oscar award short of earning an EGOT. She’s been nominated for an Oscar three times, twice for her work in the biopic Harriet and once for the movie Wicked, where she plays the title character, Elphaba Thropp.
Erivo has said playing Celie in The Color Purple took a toll on her. The musical is based on Alice Walker’s book of the same name, and throughout the story, we’re told how ugly Celie is, which makes her believe she’s not worthy of love. To embody the character, Cynthia had to endure living inside a character that was pushed around and called ugly 8 shows a week. She said, while she knows it was just a character, it wore on her and she started to hear being called ugly as if it were about herself.
In August 2020, Erivo launched her production company, Edith’s Daughter, which focuses on projects that express the beauty in the stories and people who are often overlooked and underrepresented.
Playing Elphaba in Wicked was opposite the experience of playing Celie for Erivo. The character goes from believing she is unacceptable to fully accepting herself.
In interviews, Cynthia Erivo talked about how playing the character of Elphaba helped her heal her inner child and go on a journey toward self-love.
“I hope that whoever watches this, whoever feels like they don’t fit like they are different or odd, I hope they feel seen. Because I know I did. Wicked encourages us to share all the sides of ourselves and not be afraid to be open about who we are, as long as it comes from kindness and love.”
Cynthia took the Elphaba to the next level. During Defying Gravity when #spoiler she learns she can fly, Erivo not only acts, but she sings live while doing the stunts and flying in the air 😳.
Y’all. She DID that. All I know is they better give her that Oscar.
Thank you, Cynthia Erivo, for the music and the heart you pour into your characters. You make me feel like I can be brave enough to close my eyes and leap.
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