Why The Actor Who Plays Elphaba In The Wicked Movie Looks So Familiar

When the world learned that "Wicked" was finally getting a screen adaptation, diehard fans — many of whom had been waiting for this moment since the show debuted on Broadway in 2003 — wanted to know two things: who would be playing Glinda, the role of which was originated on stage by Kristin Chenoweth, and who would be playing Elphaba, first brought to life on stage by Idina Menzel. In 2021, it was announced that Glinda was going to be portrayed by Ariana Grande, a superstar singer who's grabbed the world's attention through her hit songs and almost unparalleled vocal range. The actor tapped to play Elphaba is a superstar in her own right.

Elphaba has been brought to life on the big screen by none other than the stunning Cynthia Erivo. Though immensely talented and one of the few performers to have been nominated for all four EGOT awards (and one of the even fewer to have won three of the four), Erivo wasn't quite a household name prior to "Wicked." Still, she's had an illustrious career, and those familiar with television, film, and the theater will surely recognize her from something. Here's why the actor who plays Elphaba in "Wicked" looks so familiar.

If there's one thing that's true about Cynthia Erivo, it's that she's an absolute powerhouse performer who has been a part of some seriously iconic projects. Though it wasn't her very first professional role on stage, one of Erivo's earliest roles was Deloris Van Cartier in a tour of "Sister Act" in the United Kingdom. The production was a stage adaptation of the 1992 film of the same name starring Whoopi Goldberg and Maggie Smith; Erivo took on Goldberg's role for the tour. Goldberg was a co-producer of the production, and she clearly was satisfied with Erivo's casting. "It's a great show for everyone...your kids, your granny, even the neighbor next door who you might not like so much! I promise, you'll have a great night in the theatre," Goldberg said in a press release of the show, as reported by Playbill.

Erivo had her own reasons to be excited. "I'm looking forward to it because I heard that the crowds are amazing, and I hope they enjoy it when we get there," she said in a "Cast Confessions" video for the production. Erivo proved to be magic on stage. The reviews of her performance were nothing short of outstanding, with theatergoers especially dazzled by Erivo's voice. Her work in "Sister Act" sent Erivo on her way to further success in musical roles.

Cynthia Erivo would go on to play another role originated by Whoopi Goldberg. A couple of years after wrapping up "Sister Act," Erivo was cast as Celie Johnson in a London production of the musical stage adaptation of the 1985 Oscar-winning film "The Color Purple," based on the book of the same name by Alice Walker. Goldberg, who played Celie in the movie, earned an Oscar nomination for her performance.

Once again, Erivo delivered a dazzling performance; audiences and critics alike were blown away by her take on the character. And the experience was equally as special for Erivo. "It was one of those moments that I will never forget because of the people I worked with, the show itself, and how it felt. The last day when we finished that show, my heart broke," Erivo said to What's On Stage of the production.

After playing Celie in "The Color Purple," Erivo continued with more stage work, including the West End musical "I Can't Sing!" In the aforementioned interview, she touched on how her career skyrocketed after "Sister Act" and "The Color Purple." "Everything just clicked," she said. "Things in the best way got out of hand." Erivo also noted amid the whirlwind just how determined she was to succeed. "I genuinely want everything," she said. "I want to be an artist in my own right, writing and singing my own songs, I want to be in films, and I want to be on stage both here and on Broadway."

After Cynthia Erivo's first run performing Celie in "The Color Purple," the actor dove headfirst into her on-screen career. Erivo's first legitimate credit was Magdalene in an episode of the British sitcom "Chewing Gum" in 2015. As series star and creator Michaela Coel quipped in an interview with Vanity Fair, "That's my claim to fame. I cast Cynthia in her first ever TV role. I gave you a whole one line." In that same interview, Erivo added, "I was very pleased with my one line!" 

"Chewing Gum" was a great entry point for Erivo, and it led her to find more screen work in projects like "Mr Selfridge" and "The Tunnel." While moving from the stage to screen could be intimidating for some actors, Erivo felt at ease with the transition — and getting her start in a TV project helmed by Coel was a big reason why. "I didn't feel nervous because it was hers. I felt really comfortable with her being there. I felt safe," she said of the switch. The role also sparked a friendship between Erivo and Coel.

The theater scene in the United Kingdom is bright and shiny, but it's nothing compared to The Great White Way. In 2015, Erivo made her Broadway debut in the theater district's revival of "The Color Purple," reprising her role as Celie Johnson for the performance. Audiences in the United States were just as taken with Erivo as audiences in the U.K., and the reviews of her performance were again spectacular. Erivo went on to win the Tony Award in 2016 for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical. The actor was especially grateful for her cast in the production. "To every single person in my cast, you are magnificent," she said in her acceptance speech. "Thank you so much for lifting me up when I'm tired, for holding my hands when I'm happy, for giving me a kiss on my forehead when you know I just need some love." The theater star won an Emmy and a Grammy for contributions to the production.

After Erivo was first asked to join the Broadway production's cast, she had a hard time believing that she was really about to become a Broadway star. As she shared with Kevin Hart on an episode of "Hart to Heart," the reality didn't fully set in until she was about to board a plane to New York City. "I'm at the airport, looking at this flight attendant and I'm bawling," she recalled. "Because I'm realizing I'm going." 

By the mid-2010s, Cynthia Erivo was a rising star in the theater world, but she had yet to find mainstream success. The actor began remedying this issue by taking on various live television gigs. In 2017, Erivo joined John Legend on the Grammys stage to perform a rendition of The Beach Boys' classic "God Only Knows" for the annual "In Memoriam" segment of the ceremony. Erivo continued adding to her list of self credits by performing at the Kennedy Center Honors, presenting awards at the Oscars, Tonys, Grammys, and Emmys; and appearing on a slew of talk shows.

Erivo also made an appearance on a couple of notable reality competition series. In 2019, the actor took the stage on an episode of "American Idol" to sing Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" as a duet with contestant Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon. "He's wonderful," Erivo said of Harmon after their duet. "There's just something very special about him, and when I first met him I felt that way about him." In 2021, Erivo also took her talents to "RuPaul's Drag Race" where she appeared as a guest judge for an episode.

In 2018, Cynthia Erivo made her silver screen debut in two star-studded flicks: "Bad Times at the El Royale" and "Widows." Two years later, she received her first two Oscar nods for her contributions to the film "Harriet."In the movie, Erivo played the titular civil rights activist Harriet Tubman. The cast also included Janelle Monáe, Leslie Odom Jr., and Joe Alwyn. 

The role was no easy task given the weight of the legacy of the woman Erivo was portraying. The acclaimed actor quickly discovered that playing Tubman required her to push herself both spiritually and physically. "To understand her faith and courage, I needed to probe my own faith and call on it," Erivo said to Movie Guide. "She was strong, powerful. To play this part, I knew I would have to work out even harder than usual to be able to do what she did. Lots of trips to the gym."

Initially, there were some critics who believed that Erivo, a British actor, should not play an American hero. However, all questions about the choice seemed to dissipate when audiences saw the film. "Harriet" received mostly positive reviews from critics and was loved by audiences, and Erivo was particularly praised for her performance. She received an Oscar nomination for best actress. "Stand Up," which she co-wrote for the movie, also was up for best original song. 

Cynthia Erivo is plenty familiar with playing icons. After taking on Harriet Tubman, the Tony winner and Oscar nominee was tapped to play Aretha Franklin in 2021 in "Genius," an anthology series that depicts the stories of influential historical figures such as Pablo Picasso, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Albert Einstein. 

Erivo landed the project in quite a serendipitous way. As she shared on an episode of "Good Morning America," "I was going to the Tonys, and Marc [Malkin] from Variety asked me to sing my favorite song, and my favorite song happens to be 'Ain't No Way.' So I started singing a couple bars of 'Ain't No Way,' it was filmed, and that film made its way back to Brian Grazer, and Clyde Davis, and everyone at National Geographic." After seeing the clip, the producers of "Genius" asked Erivo to play Franklin. She was later nominated for an Emmy for her work in the series.

This all seemed to be written in the stars. Aside from "Ain't No Way" being Erivo's favorite song, the actor once met Franklin. After The Queen of Soul saw Erivo in "The Color Purple," the two met backstage. At one point in their conversation, Franklin sang the last line of one of Erivo's songs from "The Color Purple" to her. "She was just really funny and sweet," Erivo said of Franklin, adding that she felt "elated, and totally baffled, and amazed that she was there."

Cynthia Erivo joined the Disney family in 2022 playing the Blue Fairy in the live-action remake of "Pinocchio." Not to be confused with "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio" which came out the same year, the Robert Zemeckis-directed film starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jiminy Cricket and Tom Hanks as Geppetto, with Keegan-Michael Key providing more superstardom to the cast list as the voice of Honest John. Although the movie was met with disdain from critics and audiences alike and didn't do particularly well at the box office — especially for a Disney movie — there was still plenty of buzz around the film prior to its release, and its home on Disney+ has brought Erivo's performance to plenty of viewers.

Despite the reception, Erivo was proud of her work in "Pinocchio." What's more, it was an especially exciting character to dive into before it was time to begin filming "Wicked." "I was like, 'Oh! I have my good witch fairy moment and now we're heading to Elphaba.' And I kind of love the two-four of it," Erivo told Entertainment Weekly. "This is the good and what we thought was evil. But I love that they're so different. They're very, very different characters, but they both have pragmatism in them." 

As for what's next for Erivo? Well, we have a sneaking suspicion her career will only continue to defy gravity.