Cynthia Erivo Speaks Out About Queer Identity in Powerful Speech
While accepting the Rand Schrader Award, Wicked star Cynthia Erivo opened up about her experience as a queer actress.
On May 18, Erivo attended the Los Angeles LGBT Center Gala, where she was presented with the Rand Schrader Award. The accolade is named after gay rights activist Rand Schrader. As explained by Jada Pinkett Smith while introducing the Harriet actress, the award “celebrates those of us whose star burns brightly enough so that others may dare to shine.”
The queer star called it “a privilege” to be onstage, explaining, “For so long I lived in deep admiration of anyone who could fully embody their true, authentic self, wear their queerness like a feather boa, and proudly state, ‘This is a beautiful part of who I am.’”
During her acceptance speech, she addressed the challenges and joys of being out as an LGBTQ+ actress. “Claiming my queerness in public, and particularly in the public eye, has meant taking a risk in order to claim my freedom,” she shared.
Having taken on the powerful roles of Harriet Tubman and Aretha Franklin, the actress remarked, “Although I have had the greatest privilege of playing some of the most indomitable women, I’ve found that hiding just a little part of myself meant I wasn’t leaving enough room for these women to thrive easily.” She continued, “You see, when we pour all of ourselves into something or someone, it’s like serving the most nutritious meal… You cultivate an atmosphere that allows one to live, not just to exist. I wanted to live, and not just exist.”
The Chewing Gum actress recalled what it was like to hide her identity. “I used to say that it felt like I was looking at my own community from inside a glass box,” she revealed. “There you all were, vibrant and beautiful and falling in love. And I had my nose pressed up against the glass, looking out at all of you, separate and apart,” the Academy Award winner expressed.
“It took time for me to outgrow my box,” the star continued. “But time is a gift that gives us space to see ourselves clearly enough to know that denying a part of oneself is a disservice to the whole,” she shared. “But now, the glass is shattered, and there is no box in sight. And I have walked out into the wide-open spaces, into the arms of you all, and it feels like home.”
Erivo also spoke about her upcoming role as Elphaba in Jon M. Chu’s Wicked. The star described the film as “the story of how a colorful, powerful, magical woman, despite being disparaged, demonized and discriminated against, becomes a hero.”
“I see it as no coincidence that the universe urged a director by the name of Jon M. Chu to take on the mammoth task that is Wicked and the universe saw fit to lend me to him and a character like darling, green Elphaba, who is branded ‘wicked,’” the actress stated. “As I stand here in front of you, Black, bald-headed, pierced, and queer, I can say I know a thing or two about being the other.”
She continued, “Elphaba’s story is a cautionary tale of what it can sometimes means to have to stand in your individuality, your otherness, even when systems of oppression are set against you… Wicked is the reclamation and the reimagining of all the labels that are used against her. It is the proclamation of her right to exist in all of her power.” The The Color Purple star further emphasized, “If that sounds familiar to you colorful, magical people in this room, it should.”
Fans can see Cynthia Erivo onscreen as Elphaba this November in Wicked. The first part of the musical adaptation premieres in theaters this Thanksgiving. Check out the trailer below.
