Evil star Cynthia Erivo revealed the only change she requested to Elphaba's look to differentiate her from other actors who played the iconic character. Erivo leads the cast of Evilwhich also includes Ariana Grande-Butera, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum. The story follows Elphaba and Glinda years before they became known as the Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the North, when they were both students at Shiz University in the world of Oz.
Talking to VarietyErivo admitted that she was looking for a way to make her version of Elphaba unique after being cast in the film. She finally appeared with the idea of ​​micro braiding Elphaba's hair because this was a way to honor herself and all black women. Read Erivo's full quote below:
I asked if we could reimagine that hair as micro braids because I knew you would still have the movement and you could still have the length, but there was a slightly different texture than you would normally see on stage, and that there was a direct connection between me, as a black woman, and Elphaba, as a green lady.
What adding micro braids means for the Elphaba version in Wicked
Cynthia wanted to make Elphaba hers
THE Evil the film is based on a 1995 novel and a Broadway musical that began in 2003. Therefore, many different actors played Elphaba, making it difficult to stand out. However, as Erivo plays the character in the film version, she will likely be seen by many as the definitive iteration going forward. That's why it was important for her Elphaba to stand out, and the actor thought adding micro braids to Elphaba's hair was the perfect way to pay homage not just herself, but also her culture.
After its release, Evil It received incredible reviews and was a smash hit at the box office. The musical film it currently has an impressive 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes and has surpassed the $500 million mark at the worldwide box office. After watching the film, people praised Erivo's performance as Elphabaa deeply complex character who is often seen as an outcast.
Our Take on Cynthia Erivo Adding Micro Braids to Elphaba's Hair in Wicked
Micro braids are a great addition to Elphaba In Evil
In EvilErivo's character is seen as an outsider because Elphaba has green skin. As black people have also been ostracized throughout history, Erivo adding microbraids to Elphaba's hair was a great way to represent her culture. The star was clearly deeply passionate about portraying the iconic role in the film adaptation of Evilso it's great to hear how she wanted to make the character as unique as possible.
Source: Variety