Cynthia Erivo has revealed she felt ‘trepidation’ about coming out as she shared rare insight into her sexuality in a new interview.
The Wicked star, 37, said on the Reign with Josh Smith podcast that that she feared she would ‘offend people’ when she decided to share that she was bisexual, but she now feels ‘very, very in her skin and in her body.’
Cynthia first came out back in May 2022 during an interview with British Vogue, and has since said she’s ‘really proud’ of the way she shared it.
She said: ‘I feel very powerful. I feel very, very in my skin, in my body. And I love it. And I think the thing that has been really heartening is watching other young people go, ”oh my gosh, She’s like me. She gets it.”
‘There’s something really wonderful about watching someone who is just living, enjoying her life, working, creating, and just being. I think that that’s something that I don’t take for granted at all, but I do think it’s important for other young queer people who just are trying to find their way to themselves to see.
‘It’s been a really interesting journey also, because sometimes you approach it with a fair amount of trepidation like, ”Are people going to be okay with me? How are people going to be, if I say the word queer, are people going to be offended?” And then you sort of stop caring that much about that cause it’s just who I am. It’s just part of the tapestry of the human being that is in front of you.’
Cynthia Erivo, 37, has revealed she felt ‘trepidation’ about coming out as she shared rare insight into her sexuality in a new interview
‘It takes a long time to get to a place like that. It also takes determination to get there. My life has not been perfect, let’s put it that way.
‘I’ve had any number of big giant knocks and big rejections and serious hurts and all of that. But if you’re willing to allow those things to grow you instead of shrink you it sort of keeps revealing different pages of who you are and those things come away.
‘And if you don’t allow the words that people say sometimes stick and it takes time to let them come off you, when you do, you realise that most of those words are just reflections of themselves, of other people.
‘And once you take off all of the stuff that other people put on you, you show up. And hopefully you get to a place where you find yourself feeling comfortable enough to take that version of who you see into every room you walk into.
‘You feel even more confident when you take that version of who you are into a room that you walk into, let them stay there. Don’t change them. Don’t shift. Don’t bend. Just be. I’ve learned to really enjoy being and like watching people just accept it.’
During the interview, Cynthia also shared that she enjoyed intimate chats with her Wicked co-stars Jonathan Bailey and Lenah Waithe about being queer, while they worked on the much-anticipated adaptation of the 2003 musical.
She continued: ‘I’ve had some really good chats with Johnny Bailey. I’ve had some wonderful chats with Lena Waithe who is a good friend as well… just thoughtful deductions of what the world is and I think that’s what we end up talking about.
‘Johnny and I had a really wonderful conversation about queerness and what that means for us and how we move through the world in our own queerness.
The Wicked star said on the Reign with Josh Smith podcast that that she feared she would ‘offend people’ when she decided to share that she was bisexual
During the interview, Cynthia also shared that she enjoyed intimate chats with her Wicked co-stars Jonathan Bailey and Lenah Waithe about being queer
‘He’s so passionate about making sure that there’s space for all of us… I think it was like an eye opening conversation because it was the first time I really got to know him and I really liked that human being.’
Cynthia has already earned critical praise for her performance as Elphaba, starring alongside Ariana Grande who plays the iconic witch Glinda.
It comes after a rumoured list of the cast’s salaries for Wicked sparked a frenzy on social media.
While the numbers have not been confirmed and it’s unclear who shared the list first, many people are commenting on the reports and sharing their thoughts.
In the alleged salary report, the musical movie’s leading star, Cynthia was reportedly paid $1 million while the supporting actress Ariana is making over tenfold the same number.
The pop sensation is reportedly getting paid $15 million for her part in the musical movie adaptation — which broke records in its opening weekend numbers for any Broadway movies.
Meanwhile, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum, who play Madame Morrible and the Wizard, respectively, are reportedly earning $2 million each.
As for the rest of the main cast members, the list alleged that Jonathan Bailey, also known for playing Prince Fiyero, is reportedly earning just under half a million.
His rumored pay is $450,000 while Ethan Slater, who plays Boq and met his now-girlfriend Grande while working on the movie, is reportedly earning $350,000.
Marissa Bode and Bowen Yang’s reported salaries are $250,000 each, per the rumored list.
Wicked is the origin story of ‘a green-skinned woman who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West.’
It serves as a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, exploring the narrative before Dorothy’s arrival and delving into the former friendship between the characters Elphaba and Glinda.
The upcoming two-part feature is adapted from the long-running Broadway musical and is a sequel and prequel to The Wizard of Oz.
The motion picture is slated to arrive in theaters with release dates of November 22, 2024 for Wicked: Part One, and November 26, 2025 for Wicked: Part Two.
