Cynthia Erivo has revealed she was “uneasy” about coming out as she shared a rare insight into her sexuality in a new interview.
The Wicked star, 37, said in the Reign with Josh Smith podcast that she was afraid of “offending people” when she decided to share that she was bisexual, but now she feels “very, very in her skin and in her body.”
Cynthia first came out in May 2022 during an interview with British Vogue and has since said she is “really proud” of the way she came out.
She said: ‘I feel very powerful. I feel very, very in my skin, in my body. And I love it. And I think what’s been really encouraging is seeing other young people say, “Oh my God, she’s just like me.” “She understands.”
‘There’s something really wonderful about seeing someone who just lives, enjoys their life, works, creates and just exists. I think that’s something I don’t take for granted at all, but I do think it’s important for other young queer people who are just trying to find their way into themselves to see.
“It’s also been a really interesting journey, because sometimes you approach it with quite a bit of trepidation and think, ‘Are people going to be okay with me?’ What are people going to be like? If I say the word queer, are people going to be okay with me?” is it going to offend?” And then you stop worrying about it so much because that’s just how I am.
Cynthia Erivo, 37, has revealed she was “uneasy” about coming out as she shared a 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 hasn’t been perfect, let’s put it that way.
‘I’ve had a lot of giant hits, huge rejections and serious injuries and all that. But if you are willing to allow those things to make you grow instead of shrink, you will continue to reveal different pages of who you are and those things will disappear.
‘And if you don’t let the words that people say sometimes stay with you and it takes time to let them out of you, when you do, you realize that most of those words are just reflections of themselves, of other people.
‘And once you take off all the things that other people put on you, you show up. And hopefully, you’ll get to a place where you’ll feel comfortable enough to bring that version of who you see into every room you walk into.
‘You feel even safer when you bring that version of who you are into a room that you walk into and let them stay there. Don’t change them. Don’t change. Don’t bend. Just know. I’ve learned to really enjoy being and seeing 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 working on the long-awaited adaptation of the 2003 musical.
He continued: ‘I’ve had very good talks with Johnny Bailey. I’ve had some wonderful chats with Lena Waithe, who’s also a good friend…just thoughtful deductions of what the world is and I think that’s what we ended up talking about.
‘Johnny and I had a really wonderful conversation about queerness and what that means to us and how we move through the world in our own queerness.
The Wicked star said on the Reign with Josh Smith podcast that she was afraid of “offending 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 very passionate about making sure there’s room for all of us… I think it was kind of an eye-opening conversation because it was the first time I really met him and I really liked that human being.”
Cynthia has already earned critical acclaim for her portrayal of Elphaba, alongside Ariana Grande, who plays the iconic witch Glinda.
It comes after a rumored list of Wicked cast salaries sparked a social media frenzy.
While the numbers have not been confirmed and it is not clear who shared the list first, many people are commenting on the reports and sharing their opinions.
In the alleged salary report, the musical film’s lead star, Cynthia, was paid $1 million, while supporting actress Ariana earns more than ten times the same amount.
The pop sensation will reportedly be paid $15 million for her role in the musical film adaptation, which broke records for opening weekend numbers for any Broadway film.
Meanwhile, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum, who play Madame Morrible and the Wizard, respectively, will earn $2 million each.
As for the rest of the main cast members, the list alleged that Jonathan Bailey, also known for playing Prince Fiyero, would be earning just under half a million.
His salary is rumored to be $450,000, while Ethan Slater, who plays Boq and met his now-girlfriend Grande while working on the film, reportedly earns $350,000.
Marissa Bode and Bowen Yang’s reported salaries are $250,000 each, according to the rumored list.
Wicked is the origin story of “a green-skinned woman who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West.”
Serving as a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, it explores the narrative before Dorothy’s arrival and delves into the ancient friendship between the characters Elphaba and Glinda.
The upcoming two-part film is adapted from the long-running Broadway musical and is a sequel and prequel to The Wizard of Oz.
The film is scheduled to hit theaters with release dates of November 22, 2024 for Wicked: Part One and November 26, 2025 for Wicked: Part Two.