Cynthia Erivo has revealed that the creatives behind the film adaptation of Wicked made her choose between computer-generated imagery (CGI) or practical effects for her role of Elphaba — and the actress chose the latter.
CGI has been an oft-used effect in many films released over the past several years, though Erivo — who plays the green-skinned Elphaba in the Jon M. Chu-directed Wicked — wanted the full experience. And that means looking at herself in the mirror and seeing a green face.
What did Cynthia Erivo say about choosing practical effects for Wicked role?
In an interview with Empire, the actress shared the reason why she chose practical effects instead of CGI for her Elphaba role.
“It was really comfy! I think, depending on what we were doing for the day, it could take anything from two-and-a-half hours to four-and-a-half hours [in the make-up chair]. It felt like a second skin. I was never irritated by it. I think a lot of research went into what shade would be right, what would sit on my skin in the right way and how I could take care of my skin whilst it was in the make-up,” said Erivo.
She continued, “There was the option to do CGI. I was asked if I wanted to do that, or to do practical, and I knew I wanted to do practical before I even started, because I wanted to be able to look at my hands and see green hands. I wanted to look in the mirror and see a green face. I also wanted to see the reactions of other people seeing me as a green person, as opposed to me walking in as myself, because it informed how I performed.”
Similar to the popular stage musical of the same name by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, Wicked will revolve around the unlikely friendship between Elphaba and Glinda. It will serve as the first part of Chu’s movie adaptation.
In addition to Erivo, Wicked also stars Ariana Grande as Galinda, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero Tigelaar, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jeff Goldblum as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Ethan Slater as Boq Woodsman, and more.
Wicked hits theaters on November 22, 2024.