Cynthia Erivo chats with The Hollywood Reporter at THR's Studio in Park City and dishes on her reaction to receiving an Oscars nomination, Jon M. Chu's Best Director snub, watching 'Wicked: For Good' and more.
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00Have you seen any footage from from part two?
00:02I've seen like the smallest amount but not like not in situ.
00:07So it's not ordered yet. I know it's being edited now but he won't see it yet.
00:10Yeah that's fair.
00:11I'm going to force my way into the editing room.
00:14I'm not waiting that long to watch this movie.
00:16I want to see film two too.
00:21Where were you on Thursday?
00:24Were you up at 5 30 a.m?
00:26Uh I was on plane coming from London to here actually and so I guess I was up at 5 30
00:36but just in a different time zone in the air.
00:39Were you trying not to look at the news your phone etc?
00:43Oh yes.
00:44All right I think there are two things that happen.
00:48You're looking completely at the phone all the time thinking oh my goodness
00:52but then I do something for myself and just put it away from me and let myself fall asleep
00:58and I fell asleep because I was exhausted and that's what happens when I'm on planes.
01:01For some reason the sound just lulls me to sleep and when I woke up I woke up in like
01:05small increments and the phone was going off so I figured it was something good and then
01:10I looked and that was that yeah.
01:12The last time was really really special because it was my first and it was for Harriet and that
01:16that felt really special because I didn't expect it you know at this time
01:23I don't know there's just something really special about this project and having it happen for this
01:29moment um and you never you can't expect it because you just don't know and so you can
01:36feel like something feels special and you can feel like maybe and there's a small chance and
01:41you hope and you hope and then when it happens it's it's really really special and this time
01:46felt different but in the best possible way yeah I cried my eyes out.
01:50Did anyone else on the plane see you taking in the news?
01:54Um I don't think they saw me taking in the news they definitely saw me crying
01:58and then then I they gave me like a box of tissues and I had to explain that I was happy
02:04tears and not not sad tears but nonetheless they were very very kind and then at the end
02:08of the flight they were already sweet and sort of gave me some space but at the end of the flight
02:14the flight attendant said congratulations and maybe this is too hard to pick but was there
02:18one other nominate wicked nomination that like felt particularly special there that you were
02:23like hoping for oh Ari for sure uh supporting actress and um best picture yeah and also for
02:32Paul uh for a best costume I just think he's a genius um that I really wanted that for him and
02:40obviously Simon Hayes who did our the sound and the vocals and really without him we couldn't
02:45have done the work that we did to be able to sing live live like that and have the sound captured
02:50that way uh you need someone who actually cares about your voice and the way it is is yeah captured
02:58and Simon is that so I I wanted for that I wish John got his nomination because I think he's a
03:04genius and I really don't think we'd be here without him what did you tell what did you I
03:08feel like call her Ari because yeah what what what was your first like did you shoot her a text
03:16message I imagine immediately immediately and then voice notes both of us just crying on the voice
03:21notes yeah it was that we were and we're still messaging yeah if you were to tell someone why
03:27they should vote for her yeah what would you say like what's your because she's a fucking genius
03:33is why um you you I think people don't realize how hard it is to to to sing the way we sing
03:44the work that it takes to get to that point so that you can make it look easy um the comedy
03:50prowess that she has the timing but still being able to marry it with the pathos and heart and
03:56hurt and pain so that all the jokes aren't just one layered some of them are to cover up the hurt
04:03some of them are to cheer someone up you know she's uh she's really clever the way she has used
04:11this role and worked with this role to uncover all the layers that this character has on the
04:16outlook at first you sort of notice it as this bubbly effervescent pretty sweet lady but actually
04:23there's so many layers that this character has that's why I would tell you to vote for her because
04:28it's not easy to sing the way she sings and that's not that's a voice that she's had to train
04:33to do I think we underestimate the work and the training that goes into doing that kind of work
04:41have you been able to I mean it just I think the announcement just happened of the new the new
04:46Broadway cast that's oh yeah yeah I'm Harry I haven't met her I want to be I'm trying to make
04:53sure that I can get there for her first show um and I I don't know if we've managed to get the
04:58flowers to her yet but but I'm getting some flowers to her I really want to celebrate
05:02that moment for her I'm going to celebrate it with her yeah whose like opinion was the most
05:07important to you Sarah Paulson uh sent some really really wonderful words and I I really
05:12cared about what she had to say because and she is truthful Debbie Allen Miss Debbie Allen she
05:19gave me a really some really good words Oprah also she sent me some really good words that was
05:24good I just recently sat down with um sort of a film critic pundit called Mark Kermode he's like
05:32really really well known in the UK and uh he knows everything about film and he really enjoyed it and
05:39I that's another moment where I was starstruck because it's sort of like from my youth of like
05:44watching people talk about film because we have this sort of like niche world of like after 10
05:52o'clock there's like a channel that becomes about film and critique and film and and it's really
05:58interesting to watch and what people can come up with and Mark Kermode is one of those people who
06:01just knows everything about it and he had really great things to say so that was really lovely
06:06Was there a movie that made you want to be an actor?
06:10The Color Purple um and I go back to it even though I was sort of on my journey already uh
06:18Devil Wears Prada specifically because of Meryl Streep and the subtlety I know we all
06:23it's like cult classic and we love it but actually there are such um
06:28a slight uh small things that she does that most people wouldn't notice that I always notice and I
06:36love it the idea that you can make an impact with really small uh like a uh clearing the throat or
06:45just a movement of a finger or just the the way you say an ordinary phrase that changes the way
06:52you know that I is what I love about that particular performance is like the very
06:56slight slight slight slight smile that she has at the very end before it disappears and she
07:01asks the driver to go on it's it's those things you know um and I think uh Memoirs of a Geisha
07:10was one of those movies I just thought everyone was spectacular in it but it's the
07:14the combination of movement and color and sound and acting that really I was like oh to be able
07:22to make something that like of this magnitude is really really special and then Sounder because of
07:28Cicely Tyson who's just of course spectacular yeah what was the first time you was star struck
07:34maybe the first time I met Oprah I was a little star struck that that will do it you know when
07:40I met Aretha Franklin that that threw me for six that was that was insane
07:52you