Wicked’s Cynthia Erivo on Defying Gravity, the Attack on Diversity and (Maybe) Getting an EGOT

On with Kara Swisher

New York Magazine

News Commentary, News, Society & Culture

4.2 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 10 February 2025

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Is it strange that Wicked, a film about a marginalized person discovering her magic and rising up to fight against government oppression, has been a box office success under Trump 2.0 – or does the movie's message actually meet the moment? Wicked has been nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Actress in a Leading Role for Cynthia Erivo, who already has Grammy, Emmy and Tony awards under her belt. This week, Kara talks with Erivo about why, as a queer, Black woman, the role of Elphaba was especially meaningful and how she made it her own; what she thinks about the current attack on diversity programs and the LGBTQ+ community; which projects she wants to lend her voice and other talents to going forward; and what becoming the youngest EGOT winner (if she wins the Oscar) would mean to her. Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram and TikTok @onwithkaraswisher Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	She seems frozen.
0:02.3	Me, frozen?
0:03.1	Yeah, you're frozen.
0:04.4	Yeah, that's a different movie.
0:06.5	It's on.
0:19.6	Hi, everyone, from New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
0:21.0	This is On with Kara Swisher, and I'm Kara Swisher.
0:23.9	My guest today is singer, actor, producer, Cynthia Arrivo, also known as Elphaba, the star of Wicked,
0:30.4	also known as one of the hottest multi-talents at Hollywood right now.
0:34.5	I love Wicked.
0:35.4	I talk about it all the time.
0:36.7	I saw it when it was first on Broadway.
0:38.6	I thought they did a spectacular version on the screen.
0:43.0	It's making a ton of money.
0:44.3	It's a great business.
0:45.3	And at the dead hot center, but it is Cynthia Arrivo,
0:48.2	who is just memorable and spectacular in the role.
0:51.5	She's playing.
0:52.5	Her rise to Wicked fame seems meteoric if you haven't been
0:55.4	paying attention. She's been a name in the musical world since her Broadway debut as Seeley in the
1:00.7	2015 revival of the color purple, which I also saw. She blew away the audience. She, of course,
1:06.6	won a Tony for that performance in 2016 and a Grammy and a daytime Emmy in 2017. So if you're
	...

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