“I was very ill by the end of it”: Cynthia Erivo’s “crazy” 3-hour Audition for ‘Wicked’ Left Her Sick in Bed With 104° Fever

In the world of entertainment, actors are often seen taking risks and pushing themselves beyond the limits for their roles. Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo did something similar for the much-awaited film adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked. 

It was not at all smooth for Erivo to land the role of Elphaba, the misunderstood green-skinned witch, in the upcoming movie. The actress recently shared how her 3-hour audition process went and how it left her bedridden for days.

Cynthia Erivo’s Overwhelming Audition for Wicked

The story of Wicked will focus on the less-explored friendship of Elphaba and Glinda. Cynthia Erivo, who won hearts performing in The Color Purple and Harriet, landed the role of the green witch, with pop icon Ariana Grande joining as Glinda.

In a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Cynthia Erivo revealed the heavy circumstances she had to deal with during the “crazy” 3-hour-long audition process for Wicked. She said,

I worked with two other actresses and I learnt the songs, and I was there for three hours…I was very ill by the end of it. I was in bed for the next week, for like four days with a 104 fever. It was the craziest weekend because I had sung at Disney Hall the night before. I had done a concert the night before at Disney Hall and then the audition was the next day.

Moreover, this was not the only time the actress got sick. Last year, after the SAG-AFTRA strike halted the shoot for a while, Erivo started working on the Defying Gravity musical number. During her appearance on the Las Culturistas podcast (via iHeartRadio), Erivo said,

I was so sick. Like, running a fever, the fever would break, [and] then the fever would come back again. I was like, ‘When is this going to stop?’ It just went on for like a week. A whole week and a half, I was done, down.

However, the actress managed to stay positive. “I think the universe was forcing me to earn it, really earn it,” she said in retrospect. The movie has already gone through its own struggles with breaks and strikes, and Erivo’s personal struggles just show the hard work that goes into completing such an ambitious project.

Cynthia Erivo’s Preparation for the Role of Elphaba

Erivo was committed to the role of Elphaba beyond just the audition and the filming process. The actress followed a certain routine in order to fully embody her character, both physically and psychologically.

During the Las Culturistas podcast, Bowen Yang, who plays Pfannee in the movie, revealed Erivo and Michelle Yeoh used to wake up at 5 a.m. every day to run, walk, and do pilates. Adding to his comments, Erivo said,

But there was no other way to do this role. I needed the physical movement not just for the actual physicality of it, but for the emotion of it all. I needed to be physical because I needed to make sure my body was ready for the flight work and harness work.

Moreover, Erivo’s background as a stage performer has also helped her in the role significantly. In an interview with Elle, she confessed, “It’s so strange, because I feel like I was leading right here without realizing this is where I was heading.”

The actress also revealed that she “would run and sing on the treadmill.” Such commitment would definitely raise fans’ hope for Cynthia Erivo’s portrayal of the iconic Elphaba, but only time will tell if the hard work will translate on screen.

Wicked will be released in theaters on November 22, 2024.