Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist

Episode: “WICKED STARS: Cynthia Erivo on Bringing Elphaba to Life and Building Her Bond with Ariana Grande”
Date: November 8, 2025
Guest: Cynthia Erivo
Host: Willie Geist

Overview

In this episode, Willie Geist sits down with Cynthia Erivo, star of the highly anticipated movie adaptation of the musical Wicked. Erivo discusses her journey to landing the role of Elphaba, the emotional resonance of the character, her preparation for the iconic part, and the unique bond she shares with co-star Ariana Grande (Glinda). The conversation covers the pressure of stepping into such an iconic story, the process of building an authentic friendship on and off set, the technical and emotional challenges of the role, and the thrill of seeing herself featured in Times Square to herald the arrival of a new era for Wicked.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

Landing the Role of Elphaba

• A Dream Realized

  • Cynthia shares the disbelief and joy of achieving a dream she barely dared to imagine: “I guess, I mean, you have these dreams that you don't think are going to come true, or so you don't dare really to dream them. This is one of those moments...” (02:44)
  • She fell in love with Wicked as a young drama student: singing its songs with a friend, seeing it live in London, and revisiting it in New York (03:34-04:45).

• The Audition Process

  • Chose to remain “ignorant” of casting gossip to protect herself emotionally, focusing only on her own preparation: “Don’t tell me who else they're talking to... Just tell me when they want me to come in and tell me when I have the material and I will go in and do whatever is necessary.” (05:22–05:54)
  • Prepared intensely for her audition, singing key songs from the show and participating in scene work: “I did Defying Gravity. I did The Wizard and I. I did For Good...” (06:35)
  • Emotional realization during the audition about how Wicked had always been a “safe haven” in her life (06:35–07:27).

• Winning the Part

  • Director Jon Chu’s reaction: “You did your audition, you walked out of the room and he said, we found Elphaba.” Willie relates. Cynthia: “It blows me away to hear that... That’s how he felt when I left the room means everything to me.” (07:27–07:55)

Emotional Connection to Elphaba

• Personal Resonance
  • Cynthia sees herself in Elphaba: “The reason people connect with Elphaba is that so many of us feel like we’re on the outside and so many of us feel very, very different... I funneled all of those experiences and feelings right through her.” (08:10)

The Glinda Connection: Bonding with Ariana Grande

• Early Impressions and Reactions

  • Learned Ariana was cast “almost at the same time” as herself, solidifying the lead duo (09:07–09:28).
  • “Good. Fantastic. That makes complete and utter sense is my reaction. I cannot wait. This is going to be good.” (15:35)

• Building Friendship and On-Screen Chemistry

  • First two meetings: casual conversation at Cynthia's house, then a magical singalong at director Jon Chu’s home, accompanied by composer Stephen Schwartz. “That for us is a really big moment because now we know we can really do this... Not just as actresses, but as singers too.” (15:51–16:33)
  • Describes a collaborative, supportive friendship: “We function like that every day now… That’s our life now. Even when we were apart… we would still text and call and send videos and pictures... We’re really like building and cultivating a real relationship outside of work.” (17:32–18:19)
  • “It couldn’t have been any other way... We both agreed to come together and just be good for each other, to each other, and be honest and be caring, create the space that we needed for each other, because that’s what this story needs.” (16:49)

Crafting the Role: Technical and Emotional Approach

• Singing Live On Set

  • Both Cynthia and Ariana insisted on live singing: “It was very important to sing live on set because it meant that we were further connected to the work... If you see our mouths moving... we’re singing, you know, it’s real.” (18:32–19:31)
  • Example: “There's a song called ‘The Wizard and I’—the very end of that was not recorded. I did it on the set because I wanted to try something new.” (19:39–19:54)

• Physical Transformation: The Green Makeup

  • Opted for practical effects over CGI: “I always wanted to do practical makeup because I wanted to see the transformation as well. There is something very different about walking into a room and being green.” (20:15)
  • The makeup process could take up to four hours. Cynthia enjoyed being hands-on with it: “I would always do my own lips and do my own eyeliner and just like be involved. I would help with styling my hair sometimes and we would decide what we wanted to do with it.” (21:52)
  • First time seeing herself as Elphaba: “It was surreal because it made it very, very real. And it was all of a sudden, oh, she’s in the room.” (22:23)

• Signature Nails

  • Chose green nails for Elphaba, inspired by Oz lore and Margaret Hamilton’s Wicked Witch: “Another thing that makes her a little bit different to everybody else... and we found the right shade of green for her nails at the beginning, and that becomes a progressive thing also that grows.” (33:58–34:42)

Handling Pressure and Expectations

• Managing Audience Anticipation

  • “Everyone has an idea of who she is and what this role means to them. All I can really do is tell the truth of the story in front of me... Give a version that’s as truthful to me as I can that pays homage to the work that’s gone before.” (14:35–15:27)

• Defying Gravity: Performing the Iconic Song

  • The scene was one of the very last filmed, delayed by strikes and illness: “It felt like the universe was testing my passion for it, and my passion never waned.” (24:53)
  • Emotional fulfillment: “To be able to proclaim ‘And nobody in all of Oz is ever going to bring me down... I’m defying gravity’... is just one of the most thrilling, most meaningful things to me... Feels a little bit like defying the odds, defying any limitations that might have been set for me by myself or otherwise.” (25:31)

Broader Impact & Personal Reflections

• Bringing Wicked to a New Generation

  • “As important as the Broadway show remains and was to you, this will introduce an entirely new generation of people. For them, this will be Wicked.” (27:05)
  • Family pride: her goddaughter now recognizes her as a green witch doll. (27:05–27:37)

• The Role as a Career Milestone

  • “Does this feel to you like a leap?” Cynthia: “Yeah, it feels like a big leap for me, a big moment for me, and I’m really proud of it. Whatever happens, you know, this has been a ride.” (26:43–26:55)
  • Sense of accomplishment after years of hard work and setbacks: “Yeah. Yeah, I think so. Yeah, I think so. Yeah. It’s been a long, long journey. It feels really, really good.” (27:50–27:58)

• On the Cast and Director

  • Praises cast and atmosphere built by Jon Chu: “He assembled a cast of people who are deeply caring, deeply loving, deeply gracious and kind, open... I’m so glad I get to be a part of that.” (28:14)

Memorable Quotes

• On Winning the Role:
  “You don’t think those things happen... There are big, big moments of people believing in you and your talent and what you can do and what you can bring. And the effort everyone went to to share the news was just so—It was so special. I will never, never, never forget that.”
  (10:44–11:47; Cynthia Erivo, on Jon Chu’s announcement call)

• On Emotional Resonance:
  “The reason people connect with Elphaba is that so many of us feel like we're on the outside and so many of us feel very, very different. And I think that's probably why I related to her and why I cared so much about this particular character, because I know what it feels like.”
  (08:10; Cynthia Erivo)

• On Her Bond with Ariana:
  “Both of us agreed to come together and just be good for each other, to each other and be honest and be caring, create the space that we needed for each other, because that's what this story needs... We wanted more than just this working relationship. We wanted to build friendship outside of it, which is what we have now.”
  (16:49; Cynthia Erivo)

• On Performing “Defying Gravity”:
  “To be able to proclaim ‘And nobody in all of Oz is ever going to bring me down... I’m defying gravity’ while defying gravity is just one of the most thrilling, most meaningful things to me in this moment, particularly because it feels like to be in this place now feels a little bit like defying the odds...”
  (25:31; Cynthia Erivo)

• On Seeing Herself As Elphaba:
  “It was surreal because it made it very, very real. And it was all of a sudden, oh, she’s in the room. This woman we’ve been thinking of and imagining now exists. I felt really giddy. Yeah. And emotional because here she was and how I wanted her to be.”
  (22:23; Cynthia Erivo)

Special Moments & Timestamps

| Timestamp | Moment | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:44 | Cynthia describes the surreal nature of landing her dream role | | 06:35 | Cynthia on her audition songs and emotional realization | | 07:27 | Jon Chu knew instantly she was Elphaba | | 16:33 | First time she and Ariana sing together at Jon Chu’s home | | 18:32 | Decision to sing live on set explained | | 20:15 | On opting for hours of makeup over CGI transformation | | 22:23 | Cynthia’s first reaction seeing herself as Elphaba | | 24:53 | Emotional journey to performing “Defying Gravity” | | 27:05 | The movie as introduction of Wicked to a new generation | | 28:14 | Cynthia reflects on the cast and director | | 33:58 | Backstory behind Elphaba’s signature green nails | | 35:08 | Emotional viewing of her Times Square billboard with Willie | | 36:54 | Discusses the enormous anticipation for the film | | 37:26 | Realization: Cynthia’s Elphaba will be Wicked for many |

Final Reflections

• Celebrating Broadway Roots: Cynthia talks fondly about returning to the Broadway community and reflects on its familial nature and the immediacy of live audience feedback (30:30–31:58).

• Family Pride: She shares a sweet story about her mother, who is thrilled for the premiere and is having pink and green dresses made for the occasion (32:35).

• Love for the Color Green: “No, Green happens to be my favorite color. So when it happened, I was like, oh, this is just an excuse for me to keep buying more green.” (33:40)

• Seeing Herself in Times Square: Cynthia’s awe and gratitude seeing her face on the massive Wicked billboard: “It's just a huge, huge moment.” (35:20)

Conclusion

This sitdown offers a warm, candid, and inspiring portrait of an artist stepping into a legendary role. Cynthia Erivo’s journey is one of talent, humility, and deep emotional intuition. Her account shines a light on the enduring power of Wicked and the invigorating potential for friendships and artistry to transform not just a story, but the storytellers themselves.

Notable Guest List:
Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Ariana Grande, Billy Porter (mentioned)

For fans and the uninitiated alike, Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba is poised to redefine Wicked for a new era.