*Cynthia Erivo is opening up about one of the most painful chapters of her life — being disowned by her father as a teenager.
In a new Harper’s Bazaar cover story, Erivo, 38, reflected on her two-decade estrangement from her father and how the experience shaped her into the woman she is today. Erivo and her younger sister were raised in London by their mother after their parents fled Nigeria during the late 1960s civil war. When she was 16, Erivo’s father cut ties with both daughters. The last time she saw him was at a cousin’s wedding a decade ago.
“I don’t know what my life would be like if he was still around, and I can’t say whether it would be better or worse,” Erivo told the magazine. “Better not to find out.” She added, “I’ve never daydreamed about that, because it’s not going to happen. And the life that I have, I am so happy in it.”
Meanwhile, fans can catch Erivo’s return as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda when “Wicked: For Good” hits theaters in November. Directed by Jon M. Chu, the film features a powerhouse cast including Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard, Ethan Slater as Boq, Marissa Bode as Nessarose, Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James as Glinda’s assistants Pfannee and ShenShen, and Sharon D. Clarke as the voice of Elphaba’s nanny, Dulcibear.
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Building on the first film’s $750 million global box office and 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, “Wicked: For Good” explores the fractured bond between Elphaba and Glinda as they face the consequences of their choices. Exiled in the Ozian forest, Elphaba, now vilified as the Wicked Witch of the West, fights for the rights of Oz’s silenced Animals while seeking to unmask the Wizard’s true nature. Meanwhile, Glinda, basking in fame as Oz’s symbol of goodness, serves under Madame Morrible in the Emerald City, reassuring citizens of the Wizard’s rule, per the press release.
The official trailer highlights Glinda’s rise to stardom as she prepares for a grand wedding to Prince Fiyero, yet she remains haunted by her estrangement from Elphaba. Her attempt to mediate peace between Elphaba and the Wizard fails, deepening their divide and reshaping the lives of Fiyero, Boq, and Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose, especially as a girl from Kansas arrives, altering Oz’s fate.
“Wicked: For Good” is scheduled for release in the United States by Universal Pictures on November 21.
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