Cynthia Erivo Pushed for Elphaba to Have Micro-Braids inWickedto Make a 'Direct Connection' to Her as a Black Woman

Mar. 15, 2025

Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba in ‘Wicked’.Photo:Universal Pictures

Universal Pictures

Cynthia Erivois opening up about the special nuances she brought to her character inWicked.

“I asked if we could reimagine that hair as micro-braids because I knew you’d still have the movement, and you could still have the length, but there was a texture that was slightly different to what you would normally see on stage," the Grammy winner said.

Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) in “Wicked”.Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

“It was a direct connection between me as a Black woman and Elphaba as a green lady,” Erivo continued.

Elphaba’s micro-braids were just one of the ways the singer-actress ensured her character was “connected to the person underneath, me.” Another was Elphaba’s long nails, whichmirrored Erivo’s own.

“I was doing the research for this character, and I noticed that the original Wicked Witch had nails,“The Color Purpleactress said in avideo shared exclusively with PEOPLElast month.

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“I wanted a progression. How she grows as a witch and a woman. Some people wear makeup, I always have my nails done. It’s like another extended way of expressing myself,” she continued.

According toVariety, Elphaba’s nails get darker and longer as her powers grow, something that makeup and hair designer Frances Hannon told the outlet “came from Cynthia.”

Cynthia Erivo poses at the Ozdust Ball “Wicked” New York City Premiere at the Museum of Modern Art on November 14, 2024 in New York City.Bruce Glikas/WireImage

Bruce Glikas/WireImage

TheHarrietstar is only the second Black woman to portray the Wicked Witch of the West from theWizard of Ozuniverse, following Alexia Khadime who held the role in the West End production ofWickedfrom 2008-2010 and later in 2023.

Erivo toldVarietyin an article published on Nov. 26, that she hopes her portrayal of Elphaba is “a bit of a love letter to everyone who feels different, who feels out of place, to all of the Black women who have walked into rooms and felt like they haven’t been welcomed. To anyone who’s walked into a room and felt like they haven’t been welcomed.”

“I am really glad to be the conduit through which this character has been brought to the world,” she said at the time.

source: people.com