Playing well-known historical figures and fictional characters, in a manner that honors the truth of who they are while making them your own, is no easy feat. Yet Cynthia Erivo has built a career doing just that, and to widespread critical acclaim.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00I'm not necessarily striving for another award, I think I want to just make good art and if awards come because I've made good art, then great.
00:10Hopefully that just makes more room for really good art behind or in front of the camera.
00:24What do I look forward to as I grow older?
00:26Helping other people.
00:28I really enjoy meeting young people who are hopeful about being a part of this.
00:33I teach at my old drama school, I'm also the vice president there and I love meeting the new students.
00:42So I'm looking forward to constantly doing that in the future and also hopefully being able to pay for people to go to school.
00:50That's something I really want to do.
00:52And at some point, I once said I would love to have my own school, but I think I can make it spread a bit more than that.
01:08When I think about what the next milestone is, I'm not entirely sure, I hope I know it when I get there.
01:15There are things I really want to do, I really want to make sure that my production company opens doors for other people,
01:22makes room for newer faces that we see.
01:25I hope I get to sort of shift how we can make big movies and I hope I get to be the person that's on the other side of the camera making that happen.
01:39With Elphaba, it's the knowing what it feels like to be different.
01:43It's knowing what it feels like to be in a room full of people who don't necessarily want you there.
01:48It's knowing what it feels like to feel ashamed.
01:51It's knowing what it feels like to be the only one.
01:55All of those things sort of come to play.
01:57It's that strange father-daughter relationship that she has.
02:00There are a number of things that I connected with on a personal level when it came to Elphaba
02:07that she sort of gave me the opportunity to both work through and share.
02:18I hope that the Black female directors that are working now and to come get awarded for the work that they do.
02:26I don't think we see that happen enough, so that's definitely a boundary that I would love to break.
02:32And maybe the pay gap.
02:34Let's see if we can just even the playing field just a little bit.
02:38That would be quite nice.
02:45I think I've been taking many little mini risks along the way.
02:48It's just like choosing to be completely myself.
02:51So whether it was cutting my hair, which actually happened recently.
02:56I didn't cut it for the role and then just never stopped cutting it.
02:59Because I felt like it was different to what we see as beautiful.
03:04And I know it seems like a small thing, but letting my nails be long.
03:08Doing my nails and putting that part of a culture that I understand and I know into a mainstream.
03:16And you know, sharing who I am as a queer person.
03:20All of those things, I think, for me there were many risks because I took them one step at a time.
03:28But I think as a whole, they're a big risk to just be.
03:32And I think it's just allowed me to be as creative as I possibly can be.
03:37Because I'm not really hiding anything.
03:40I'm just myself.
03:43I run. I walk. I meditate. I try to eat well.
03:55And I have good people around me.
03:57I feel like that is an actual practice.
03:59To make sure that you have good people around you who keep you grounded.
04:04And that's not to say that you can't enjoy the moments you're in.
04:08I mean, they help to make sure you enjoy and are present in the moments that come.
04:14I have a really good set of people.
04:21A really good, functioning, beautiful team of people who are friends and family.
04:29Who keep me grounded and take care of me as well.
04:33If you can get to where you have dreamed of and you can be present in it.
04:37And it doesn't overwhelm you.
04:39And there are plenty of people in the room but you don't feel alone.
04:42Then I think that's a success.
04:44Because it means that you've been able to be present for what's going on.
04:47I think that's a success.
05:07you