Cynthia Erivo: The Life Story Behind Wicked's Star
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Stockwell: A Nigerian Family in South London
Cynthia Erivo was born on 8 January 1987 in Stockwell, in south London, the daughter of Nigerian parents, and she grew up in a household where music, faith and hard work were part of daily life. Her mother, Edith, a nurse, raised her, and the family lived in Stockwell, in a neighbourhood that was, in those years, a working-class, multicultural part of London, with markets, with churches, and with a community that was, in many ways, a village, in the middle of the city. A girl growing up in Stockwell learned to be tough, to be funny, and to notice people, all of which would serve her later as an actress, and as a singer.
She attended La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls’ School in Balham, and she sang in the choir, and she learned, early, that her voice was special, that it could do things other voices could not, and that it was, in a sense, a gift, and a responsibility. The choir was a training, and it was a refuge, and it was the place where she learned to sing in harmony, to listen, and to be part of something bigger than herself. The school was a Catholic school, and the faith was part of the story, because it gave her a sense of discipline, and a sense of purpose, and the music, in the church, was the beginning of a career that would take her to Broadway, and to Hollywood.
After school, she studied music psychology at the University of East London, for a year, and then she decided to train as an actress, and she won a place at RADA, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, in London, one of the most prestigious drama schools in the world, where she graduated in 2010. RADA was a revelation, and it was the beginning of everything that followed, because it taught her to act, to sing, and to be a performer, and because it gave her the confidence, and the technique, to take on the roles that would make her famous. The girl from Stockwell had become a RADA graduate, and the RADA graduate would become a Tony winner, and the Tony winner would become Elphaba, and the story that began in south London would reach the stages of the world.
She has spoken openly about being queer, and about being a Black woman in an industry that has, for too long, been unwelcoming to Black women, and to queer people, and the openness is a form of courage, and it is a form of public service, because a woman who is famous, who is talented, and who is loved, saying that she is queer, tells the world that talent does not care about sexuality, or about race, and that it can come from anywhere, and from anyone. The girl from Stockwell became a woman who uses her voice to help others, and that is a remarkable life.
RADA, The Color Purple and the London Stage
Cynthia Erivo’s first great success on stage came in 2013, in The Color Purple, at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London, in which she played Celie, a Black woman in the American South, who is abused, who is silenced, and who finds her voice, in a musical based on the novel by Alice Walker, and the film by Steven Spielberg, in a performance that was a revelation, and that made the audience weep, and stand, and applaud, in a way that few performances do. The production was a critical success, it was praised for its intimacy, its power, and its truth, and Erivo, as Celie, was its heart, a woman who is broken, and who is healed, by love, by friendship, and by her own voice.
The production transferred to Broadway, in 2015, in a revival directed by John Doyle, and Erivo, as Celie, became a star, in New York, in a performance that earned her the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 2016, the highest honour in American theatre, and a recognition of a performance that is, by any standard, one of the great performances in modern musical theatre. The Tony was a validation, and it was also a beginning, because it introduced Erivo to the world, as a singer, as an actress, and as a star, and it led to the roles that would follow, in film, in television, and on stage, in London, in New York, and around the world.
She also won a Grammy Award in 2017, for the cast album of The Color Purple, and a Daytime Emmy Award in 2017, for the NBC broadcast of the musical, and the three awards, the Tony, the Grammy and the Emmy, made her a woman who was one award away from an EGOT, the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony, the rarest honour in entertainment, and the Oscar, which she has been nominated for, twice, is the one that remains. The awards are a recognition, and they are also a sign that Erivo is, at thirty-nine, one of the most honoured performers of her generation, and that the best work is still ahead.
The Color Purple mattered because Celie is a difficult role, a woman who is abused, who is silenced, and who finds her voice, and Erivo played her with a total honesty that made the audience believe in her, and that made the musical, which is, in many ways, a story about pain, into a story about hope, and about survival. The production was a critical and commercial success, it ran for more than a year on Broadway, and it remains, for many people, the definitive Color Purple, and the reason Erivo is remembered, not only as a singer, but as an actress, a woman who can play a character who is flawed, and make the audience care about her, even when she does not deserve it, and even when the story is painful.
Bad Times, Widows and the Film Debut
Cynthia Erivo’s film career began in 2018, in Bad Times at the El Royale, a film directed by Drew Goddard, in which she played Darlene Sweet, a singer, in a cast that included Jeff Bridges, Chris Hemsworth and Jon Hamm, in a performance that was a revelation, and that showed the world that Erivo could act, in film, with the same skill she brought to the stage. The film was a critical success, it was praised for its style, its mystery, and its performances, and Erivo, as Darlene, was its heart, a woman who is a singer, who is a witness, and who is, in the end, a survivor.
In the same year, she appeared in Widows, playing Belle, in a film directed by Steve McQueen, in a cast that included Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez and Elizabeth Debicki, in a heist film about women who take over their husbands’ criminal work, in a performance that was strong, that was quiet, and that showed a different side of Erivo, a woman who is tough, who is practical, and who is, in her own way, a hero. The film was a critical success, and it confirmed that Erivo was not only a stage actress, but a film actress, a woman who could play a supporting role, and who could steal a film, and who was, in every way, a star.
The film debut mattered because it was a beginning, and because it showed that Erivo, who had been a stage star, could become a film star, and that the audience, in the cinema, would follow her, as the audience, in the theatre, had followed her. The roles were different, they were film roles, and they required a different kind of acting, a smaller kind, a quieter kind, and Erivo played them with a total commitment that made the audience believe in her, and that made the films, which were, in many ways, ensemble pieces, into showcases for her talent, and her voice, which is, in film, as powerful as it is on stage.
She also appeared in other films, in supporting roles, in leading roles, and in the theatre, and she built a career that was, in the best sense, a working actress’s career: stage, film, television, one role at a time, with no shortcuts, and with no compromises. The early film years were a foundation, and the foundation was solid, because it was built on talent, on training, and on a love of the work, and the work that followed, in the 2020s, would build on that foundation, and would make Erivo one of the most famous women in the world.
Harriet, the Oscar Nominations and the Voice
In 2019 Cynthia Erivo starred in Harriet, playing Harriet Tubman, the abolitionist, in a film about Tubman’s life, her escape from slavery, and her work on the Underground Railroad, in a performance that earned her Academy Award nominations for Best Actress, and for Best Original Song, for “Stand Up”, a song she co-wrote for the film, and that made her the first Black British woman to be nominated for Best Actress, and the youngest, and the most celebrated, of her generation. The film was a critical and commercial success, and it showed that Erivo could carry a film, as a leading lady, in a historical drama, and that she could do it with a depth, a power, and a truth that few actresses possess.
Harriet mattered because Tubman is a hero, a woman who escaped from slavery, who returned, again and again, to free others, and who became a symbol of freedom, and Erivo played her with a total honesty that made the audience understand her, even when the story was painful, and even when the history was brutal. The performance was a revelation, and it was a validation, and it was a sign that Erivo, at thirty-two, was one of the great actresses of her generation, and that the Oscar nominations were not a fluke, but a recognition, of a talent that had been visible, since The Color Purple, and that was now, in film, undeniable.
She also performed “Stand Up” at the Academy Awards, in a performance that was, for many viewers, the highlight of the ceremony, and that showed her voice, in its full power, in a song that is about standing up, about fighting, and about freedom, and the performance was a reminder that Erivo is not only an actress, but a singer, and a songwriter, and that the voice is, in a sense, the centre of her talent, and the reason the world knows her name. The song was nominated for an Oscar, and it was a recognition, and it was also a beginning, because it showed that Erivo could write, as well as sing, and act, and that the career was, in every way, a multi-talented one.
The Oscar nominations were a turning point, because they introduced Erivo to the world, as a film star, and because they led to the roles that would follow, in Wicked, in Luther, in The Outsider, and in Genius, and because they confirmed that she was, at thirty-two, a woman who was one award away from an EGOT, and that the Oscar, which had eluded her twice, was still to come, and that the audience, and the industry, were waiting, for the performance that would win it, and for the film that would make it happen.
Wicked, Elphaba and the Green Witch
In 2024 Cynthia Erivo starred in Wicked, playing Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, opposite Ariana Grande as Glinda, in a film directed by Jon M. Chu, based on the musical by Stephen Schwartz, and the novel by Gregory Maguire, in a performance that earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, and that made her, for a generation, the green witch, and the voice of “Defying Gravity”, in a film that became one of the biggest hits of the year, and one of the most loved musicals ever made. The film was a critical and commercial success, it was seen around the world, and it confirmed that Erivo, at thirty-seven, was a global star, and that Elphaba was the role she was born to play.
Elphaba is a difficult role, a woman who is green, who is misunderstood, who is powerful, and who is, in the end, a hero, and Erivo played her with a total honesty that made the audience love her, even when the character is, in the story, the villain, and even when the world calls her wicked. The performance was a revelation, and it was a validation, and it was a sign that Erivo, who had played Celie, and Harriet, and Darlene, could now play Elphaba, and that the range was real, and was growing, and that the actress was, in every way, one of the greats, a woman who can sing, who can act, and who can carry a film, on her own, without a male star to support her.
She also appeared in the sequel, Wicked: For Good, released in 2025, in which she returned as Elphaba, in a film that completed the story, and that was, like the first, a critical and commercial success, and that confirmed that the Wicked films were, for Erivo, a defining achievement, and a role that will be remembered, for as long as people watch musicals. The films were a labour of love, for Erivo, for Grande, and for the audience, and they are a labour that is still loved, and still watched, by people who were not born when the musical first opened on Broadway.
The Wicked role mattered because it was a musical, and because Erivo, who had won a Tony for a musical, was now a film star, in a musical, and the circle was complete, from The Color Purple, on Broadway, to Wicked, in the cinema, and the voice, which had begun in a choir in Balham, was now the voice of Elphaba, singing “Defying Gravity”, in a film that was seen by millions, around the world, and that is a journey, and a story, that deserves to be celebrated, not only for the fame, but for the talent, and for the work, that made it possible.
The Outsider, Genius and the Television Star
Cynthia Erivo’s television career is as distinguished as her stage and film work, and it shows a different side of her talent, as a dramatic actress, in series that are respected, and that are watched, around the world. In 2020 she starred in The Outsider, an HBO series based on the novel by Stephen King, playing Holly Gibney, a private investigator, in a performance that was quiet, that was intelligent, and that showed a different side of Erivo, a woman who is a detective, who is a thinker, and who is, in her own way, a hero, without ever raising her voice, without ever firing a gun, and without ever leaving her desk.
In 2021 she starred in Genius: Aretha, playing Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, in a series about Franklin’s life, her music, and her activism, in a performance that was a revelation, and that showed Erivo as a singer, as an actress, and as a star, in a role that required her to sing, to act, and to be Aretha, in a way that few actresses could, and that earned her an Emmy nomination, and a recognition, of a performance that is, by any standard, one of the great performances in modern television. The series was a critical success, and it confirmed that Erivo could play a real person, a legend, and that she could do it with a total honesty that made the audience believe in her.
She also appeared in Luther: The Fallen Sun in 2023, playing Odette Raine, a detective, opposite Idris Elba as Luther, in a film that was released on Netflix, and that was a commercial success, and in Pinocchio in 2022, playing the Blue Fairy, in a film directed by Robert Zemeckis, and in Drift in 2023, playing Jacqueline, a woman who flees to Greece, in a film that was a critical success, and that showed a different side of Erivo, a woman who is a refugee, who is a survivor, and who is, in the end, a human being, in a performance that was quiet, and moving, and profound.
She is also a recording artist, and a songwriter, in her own right, because in 2021 she released her debut album, Ch. 1 Vs. 1, a collection of songs that she wrote, and that she sings, in a performance that is, for many listeners, the most personal work she has done, and that shows her voice, in its full power, in songs that are about love, about identity, and about being a Black woman, in a world that is, in many ways, unwelcoming. The album was a critical success, it was praised for its honesty, its power, and its truth, and it confirmed that Erivo, at thirty-four, was not only an actress, but a singer-songwriter, and that the voice, which had begun in a choir in Balham, was now a voice that could write, and sing, her own songs, and that the audience, who listened, loved her for it.
She has also performed live, on stage, in concerts, and at ceremonies, in performances that are, for many viewers, the most powerful work she has done, and that show her voice, in its full power, in a room, in front of an audience, without a camera, and without a script. At the Academy Awards in 2025, she performed with Ariana Grande, opening the ceremony with a medley from Wicked, in a performance that was, for many viewers, the highlight of the night, and that showed her voice, in its full power, singing “Defying Gravity”, in front of the world, and the performance was a reminder that Erivo is not only a film star, but a live performer, and that the voice, which had begun in a choir in Balham, is now a voice that can fill a theatre, and a ceremony, and a world, and that is a rare thing, for a singer, and for a star, and it is the reason she will be remembered, not only for the films, but for the voice, and for the songs, and for the performances that made the audience stand, and applaud, and weep, and that will be remembered, for as long as people watch the Oscars, and for as long as people listen to Wicked.
My Take:
What I admire most about Cynthia Erivo is the voice, and I want to be specific about what that voice means, because it is easy to say a singer has a great voice and hard to show it. She was born in Stockwell, in south London, the daughter of Nigerian parents, she sang in the choir at La Retraite, she studied at RADA, she played Celie in The Color Purple, she won a Tony, a Grammy and a Daytime Emmy, and she became Elphaba, in Wicked, singing “Defying Gravity”, in a film that was seen by millions, around the world. The voice is in the choir, in the musical, in the film, and in the song “Stand Up”, and it is the thread that runs through everything she has done, from the first note to the last, and it is the reason the world knows her name.
I also think her Stockwell childhood matters more than it is usually given credit for. She grew up in south London, the daughter of a nurse, in a neighbourhood that was working-class, and multicultural, with markets, with churches, and with a community that was, in many ways, a village, in the middle of the city. A girl growing up in Stockwell learned to be tough, to be funny, and to notice people, and that is the whole of Erivo’s talent, in a single sentence: she notices people, and she shows you what she noticed. Celie is a woman who is abused, and Erivo plays her with a truth that comes from having grown up in Stockwell. Harriet is a woman who is a hero, and Erivo plays her with a power that comes from having met women like Harriet, in the churches, in the streets, in the markets of south London. The childhood is in the work, and it is there because she grew up in it, and because she has never tried to hide it.
The RADA training is the part I think about most, because it is easy to see a drama school as a place where you learn to act, and it is wrong to do so. RADA taught her to act, to sing, and to be a performer, and it gave her the confidence, and the technique, to take on the roles that would make her famous. The girl from Stockwell had become a RADA graduate, and the RADA graduate would become a Tony winner, and the Tony winner would become Elphaba. I think the training matters because it is the foundation, and because the foundation was solid, and because the work that followed, from The Color Purple to Wicked, was built on it, and would not have been possible without it.
The Color Purple is the production I return to most, because Celie is a woman who is abused, who is silenced, and who finds her voice, and Erivo played her with a total honesty that made the audience weep, and stand, and applaud, in a way that few performances do. The production was a critical success, it transferred to Broadway, and Erivo won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 2016. I think the production matters because it is the beginning, and because it shows what she could do, and because it set the pattern for everything that followed: the leading lady, the singer, the actress, and the woman who is, underneath it all, a survivor, and a hero, and a star.
Harriet is the film I think about when I consider her as a film star, because Harriet Tubman is a hero, a woman who escaped from slavery, who returned, again and again, to free others, and who became a symbol of freedom, and Erivo played her with a total honesty that made the audience understand her, even when the story was painful, and even when the history was brutal. The performance earned her Academy Award nominations for Best Actress, and for Best Original Song, for “Stand Up”, and it made her the first Black British woman to be nominated for Best Actress. I think the film matters because it is a historical drama, and because it shows that Erivo can carry a film, as a leading lady, and that she can do it with a depth, a power, and a truth that few actresses possess.
Wicked is the film I enjoy most, because Elphaba is a woman who is green, who is misunderstood, who is powerful, and who is, in the end, a hero, and Erivo played her with a total honesty that made the audience love her, even when the character is, in the story, the villain, and even when the world calls her wicked. The film was a critical and commercial success, it was seen around the world, and it confirmed that Erivo, at thirty-seven, was a global star. I think the film matters because it is a musical, and because Erivo, who had won a Tony for a musical, was now a film star, in a musical, and the circle was complete, from The Color Purple, on Broadway, to Wicked, in the cinema, and the voice, which had begun in a choir in Balham, was now the voice of Elphaba, singing “Defying Gravity”.
Genius: Aretha is the series I admire for its ambition, because Aretha Franklin is the Queen of Soul, a legend, and Erivo played her with a total honesty that made the audience believe in her, in a performance that required her to sing, to act, and to be Aretha, in a way that few actresses could. The series was a critical success, and it earned her an Emmy nomination, and a recognition, of a performance that is, by any standard, one of the great performances in modern television. I think the series matters because it shows that Erivo can play a real person, a legend, and that she can do it with a depth that surprises many who knew her only as a stage actress, and that the range is the point, not the exception.
The Outsider is the series I return to most, because Holly Gibney is a private investigator, a woman who is quiet, who is intelligent, and who is, in her own way, a hero, without ever raising her voice, without ever firing a gun, and without ever leaving her desk. The role was a quiet one, and the quietness was the point: Holly was the person who did the work, who read the files, who made the connections, and who solved the case, by thinking, not by fighting. I think the series matters because it shows that Erivo can play a detective, a thinker, and a hero, and that she can do it with a total commitment that made the audience believe in her, and that made Holly one of the most respected characters in modern television.
The EGOT is the dream I think about when I consider her future, because she has won a Tony, a Grammy and a Daytime Emmy, for The Color Purple, and she has been nominated for an Oscar, twice, for Harriet, and once, for Wicked, and the Oscar is the one that remains. I think the dream matters because it is a goal, and because it is a goal that is within reach, and because the audience, and the industry, are waiting, for the performance that will win it, and for the film that will make it happen. The EGOT is the rarest honour in entertainment, and Erivo is one award away, and the fact that she is one award away, at thirty-nine, is a measure of her talent, and of her career, and of the work she has done, and will do, and the Oscar, when it comes, will be a recognition, and a celebration, of a career that has lasted for more than fifteen years, and that is still going strong, and that will be remembered, for as long as people watch films, and listen to songs, and sing along, to the voice that began in a choir in Balham, and that became the voice of Elphaba, and of Celie, and of Harriet, and of Aretha.
What I take from the whole story, finally, is a picture of a career built on a voice, on a childhood, and on a refusal to be defined by a single role. Erivo takes the work seriously, she sings, she acts, she writes, she plays Celie and Harriet and Elphaba and Aretha, and she does it with a commitment that has lasted for more than fifteen years. That is a rare combination, and it is the reason her career matters beyond the awards and the acclaim. She is not only a singer. She is an actress, and a songwriter, and a woman who left Stockwell, and who became a star, without ever forgetting where she came from. I expect her to be remembered, and I expect the films to be watched, for as long as people watch films, because the pattern so far is that the best work is always the work she has already done, and the work she has done is extraordinary.
If I were recommending Cynthia Erivo to a new viewer, I would start with The Color Purple, because it is the beginning, and then I would watch Harriet, because it shows her soul, and then I would watch Wicked, because it shows her voice, and then I would watch Genius: Aretha, because it shows her range. That is my honest path through her work, and I think it gives a new viewer the four corners of the story: the singer, the hero, the witch and the queen. Each one is real, and each one is worth your time, and together they make a career that is among the finest of any actress from Britain.
I also think about what she means for Britain, because she is one of the most famous actresses from the country, and she has never hidden where she came from. She is Nigerian, she is British, she is a singer, she is an actress, she is a songwriter, and she is all of those things at once, without apology. That is a remarkable life, and it is a life that deserves to be celebrated, not only for the performances, but for the person behind them, who has lived with honesty, with humour, and with a refusal to be defined by anyone else.
Finally, I want to say why this story stays with me. It stays with me because it is a story about a girl from Stockwell who sang in a choir, who went to RADA, who became Celie, who won a Tony, who became Harriet, who was nominated for an Oscar, who became Elphaba, who sang “Defying Gravity”, and who is still working, at thirty-nine, with a career that is still going strong. That is not a straight line. It is a winding road, and it is a road that was walked with a voice, with work, and with a refusal to forget. The girl from Stockwell is still with us, and the films are still with us, and the story is still being told, and it will be told, for as long as people watch films.
The live performances are the work I think about when I consider her as a singer, because at the Academy Awards in 2025, she performed with Ariana Grande, opening the ceremony with a medley from Wicked, in a performance that was, for many viewers, the highlight of the night, and that showed her voice, in its full power, singing “Defying Gravity”, in front of the world. The performance was a reminder that Erivo is not only a film star, but a live performer, and that the voice, which had begun in a choir in Balham, is now a voice that can fill a theatre, and a ceremony, and a world, and that is a rare thing, for a singer, and for a star, and it is the reason she will be remembered, not only for the films, but for the voice, and for the songs, and for the performances that made the audience stand, and applaud, and weep, and that will be remembered, for as long as people watch the Oscars, and for as long as people listen to Wicked.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where was Cynthia Erivo born?
She was born on 8 January 1987 in Stockwell, south London, the daughter of Nigerian parents. She attended La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls’ School in Balham, sang in the choir, studied music psychology at the University of East London, and then trained at RADA, graduating in 2010.
What role won Cynthia Erivo a Tony Award?
She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 2016 for playing Celie in The Color Purple on Broadway, after first playing the role at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London in 2013. She also won a Grammy and a Daytime Emmy for the production.
How many Oscar nominations does Cynthia Erivo have?
She was nominated for two Oscars for Harriet in 2019, for Best Actress and for Best Original Song for “Stand Up”, which she co-wrote, and she was nominated again for Best Actress for Wicked in 2024. She is one award away from an EGOT, having won a Tony, a Grammy and a Daytime Emmy.
Who did Cynthia Erivo play in Harriet?
She played Harriet Tubman, the abolitionist who escaped slavery and worked on the Underground Railroad, in the 2019 film. The role made her the first Black British woman nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Who did Cynthia Erivo play in Wicked?
She played Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, opposite Ariana Grande as Glinda, in Wicked in 2024, directed by Jon M. Chu, and returned in the sequel Wicked: For Good in 2025. She was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actress for the role.
Who did Cynthia Erivo play in Genius: Aretha?
She played Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, in Genius: Aretha in 2021, a performance that earned her an Emmy nomination. She also played Holly Gibney in the HBO series The Outsider in 2020.
