CYNTHIA ERIVO RECALLS FILMING PIVOTAL SCENE IN 'WICKED' FILM ADAPTATION: ‘MY HEART BROKE OPEN AND TEARS FELL’

“I am endlessly grateful to play a role that turns the notion of what beauty is on its head,” Erivo also wrote on Instagram

Cynthia Erivo is opening up about what filming Wicked means to her.

The actress, 36, who plays Elphaba in the film, shared a rare — and emotional — glimpse into her journey playing the popular role in a lengthy note to fans shared on Instagram on Friday.

“I realize I’ve said very little about my experience on Wicked and that's mainly because I’ve been keeping my head down and mining this beautifully complex being that is Elphaba, and it’s really hard to put into words,” Erivo wrote in the Instagram caption.

Alongside the message, she posted a photo of her left hand — her nails painted a dark emerald color — laying on a script of Wicked: Part 2, the second of the two-part movie adaptation of the hit Broadway musical.

Erivo noted that one particular scene — which is featured in the first act of the show — inspired her to pen her feelings. “It is day 111 and yesterday we finished filming ‘I’m Not That Girl’ when we had come to the end of that moment, my heart broke open and tears fell. (Please know this happens OFTEN),” Erivo wrote.

“I thought of us, the ones who often feel like they’re on the outside,” she explained. “The ones who don’t know that their differences, oddities, quirks are what make them beautiful and special. The ones who, for some reason, believe they can’t be loved, and I felt proud to sing a song that might speak to those feelings.”

The Harriet actress went on to express how much she appreciated both playing the part of Elphaba and the experience she shared with her co stars, including Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey, and director Jon M. Chu.

“I am endlessly grateful to play a role that turns the notion of what beauty is on its head,” she said. “I am endlessly grateful to be working with some of the most beautiful souls on the planet, and I’m already grieving for the day our little bubble must come to an end.”

She ended the note speaking directly to fans and revealed her hopes for what they might take away from the movie when it is released.

“I desperately hope that when you finally see this film, you’ll see you, you’ll see me, you’ll see Jon and Ari and our hearts laid bare, you’ll see pain and joy and maybe just maybe you’ll see a little spark of light that says, you are who you are for a reason and you are deserving of happiness and even though sometimes it might be hard to find, it is there for the taking,” the actress wrote.

“I hope all the bumps and scrapes and scars that you’ve picked up along the way, get a little healing when you finally relax in a theater with a snack a drink and hopefully, friends you bring or friends you find when you’re there,” she added, concluding her post with “Love your Elphie Cynthia E.”

The heartfelt post featured responses from an array of A-listers, including Erivo's costar in the movie, Grande. "i love you forever," the singer and actress, 29, wrote in the comments section.

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Universal's film adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical ⁠— which is based on the 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire ⁠— was first announced all the way back in 2016.

In November 2021, Erivo and Grande were cast as the leads. The cast also stars Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard, Ethan Slater as Boq, Marissa Bode as Nessarose, Bowen Yang as Pfannee, Bronwyn James as ShenShen, Keala Settle as Miss Coddle, Aaron Teoh as Avaric and Colin Michael Carmichael as Professor Nikidi, per IMDb.

Wicked: Part One and Part Two are scheduled to hit theaters on Christmas Day in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

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2023-06-10T17:12:13Z dg43tfdfdgfd