Cynthia Erivo is best known for her powerful voice and dramatic performances. Still, for her next movie release in 2024 in it next Wickedfaces a new challenge: becoming the green-skinned “Wicked” Witch of the West. And while Cynthia is all smiles as she jokes about her transformation into one of the most beloved modern musicalsThe process seems easy. Frankly, it seems like a big hassle to achieve that look.
In a recent interview with vanity fair, he Stranger star, along with his companions Wicked cast His partner Ariana Grande spoke about what it takes to embody the iconic character on screen, and it's not a quick process. The actress revealed that achieving Elphaba's look required hours of meticulous work, even when only one part of her body needed to be painted. She told the outlet:
From two hours and 45 minutes to three hours if it was just head, neck and hands. If it was the whole body, it would be like four hours.
But time wasn't the only challenge. Finding the right shade of green for the iconic character's skin was a meticulous task that required multiple “green tests” to achieve the desired result. He widows the actress explained:
Some vegetables didn't really work. We had some aliens that were too far away. In brown, it reads like skin.
Makeup was not limited to just the skin. Erivo also had to wear colored contact lenses, special lipstick, and wear four different wigs to achieve Elphaba's signature perfect hair. Cynthia went the extra mile and shaved her head for the role to ensure the wigs fit perfectly on camera. This allowed the makeup artists to paint directly onto her scalp, blending the green makeup seamlessly with the wigs.
Despite the intense and laborious process, the Bad times at El Royale The actress maintained her sense of humor. He fondly remembered the moment when he first saw himself without the wig and said:
Green-scalped Cynthia. Like a little green bald lady.
although he harriet The star has found some humor in her grueling makeup situation, her commitment to preparing for the role underscoring her dedication to bringing Elphaba to life for the upcoming page to screen adaptation. In it vanity fair In the interview, she and her co-star Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda, talked about the challenges they faced during the filming process, from grueling makeup sessions to the emotional weight of their characters' journeys.
Since it was announced, Cynthia Erivo would take over as Elphabaa role initially made famous by Broadway legend Idina Menzel, and fans have been abuzz with excitement upon seeing the big screen adaptation for the first time. If you are like me, the first look and The trailer left you absolutely floored.showing off all the amazing makeup and hard work that went into Erivo's transformation. Clearly, the role is in good hands with the Genius veteran star, who is sure to knock all of our collective striped witch socks off when she sings “Defying Gravity.” I'm ready for it. Bring on the release date!
While the film technically adapts the stage musical, Wicked It is also an adaptation of the original novel by Gregory Maguire and will be divided into two parts. The first part hits theaters on November 22 and the second premieres a year later, deep in history. movie schedule 2025.