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Since the film’s debut in November, Cynthia Erivo has received acclaim for her performance as Elphaba in the film adaptation of Broadway’s Wicked. The film itself recently received ten Academy Awards nominations, including recognition for Ervio, who was flying when the nominations were revealed.
“True to form, I was defying gravity,” said Erivo, with a laugh on a recent visit to Jimmy Kimmel Live! As one of the most popular musicals of all time, Erivo explained to Kimmel how she made the songs her own, even with the rich history and performances of the piece that have come before. “I wanted to make sure that I used the music as though it was the emotional heartbeat throughout her story. I wanted to make sure she grew through the songs,” said Erivo.
“‘The Wizard and I’ has more youth in the sound and then later on you have ‘I’m Not That Girl,’ which is a bit more wistful and there’s more heartbreak before you get to ‘Defying Gravity’ which has more ground in it.”
She went on to demonstrate her explanation by performing snippets of the songs from the film. Also on the show, she talked about the iconic war cry and the movie being split into two parts, before answering Wicked questions from kids. Watch the full interview now!
The Wicked film adaptation stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Ethan Slater as Boq, and Marissa Bode as Nessarose. The first part was released on November 22, 2024, with Wicked: For Good hitting theaters on November 21, 2025.
