"Often the world tells us [Black women] that we aren’t able to do certain things"- When Cynthia Erivo opened up about growing up in a female household
Cynthia Erivo has quickly garnered a lot of fame in Hollywood despite the relatively short time she has spent in her acting career. The Grammy Award winner has become one of the most talked-about actresses all around after her portrayal of Elphaba in the highly acclaimed Wicked, where she starred opposite Ariana Grande.
Despite the backlash the movie faced, Wicked has been widely praised across the globe and is perhaps on its way to the Academy Awards, and Cynthia Erivo has a big role to play in this success.
Coming from an immigrant family, where her mother worked as a nurse to provide for her daughters, Erivo firmly believes that growing up in an all-female household was crucial in building her self-belief, which helped her achieve all that she has. Speaking about it in an interview in 2021, Erivo told Harper's Bazar:
"Often the world tells us [Black women] that we aren’t able to do certain things but when all you know is other women doing everything they want to, you realise, yeah I can too."
She added:
"My mum has a nice house and a car – I can get a nice house and a car. She’s got the job that she wants, I can get the job I want too. At no point did my mum say, 'You have to be a doctor,' you know how it happens,"
In the same interview, she explained how support from her family was crucial in her artistic pursuits and how it helped her stand out in her profession.
"Make sure you’re the best at it" - Cynthia Erivo on how her mother pushed her to excel in her craft
Discussing her origins in the interview with Harper's Bazar, Cynthia Erivo explained that between their families, there's an unspoken rule that the children will usually attempt to become a doctor, a lawyer or an engineer. Her family immigrated to the UK in the 1920s, and it's almost their norm to choose traditional career paths.
However, Cynthia's mother allowed her to choose her own path and just asked her to be the best at whatever she did. Erivo explained:
"Mum said, 'If singing is what you want to do, then work really hard and do it well – make sure you’re the best at it....Acting came alive to me when I was around 11. I liked being able to tell the stories of others."
She also recalled her mother's support for her singing, with the latter even telling her that she could sing before she could talk. Erivo recalled:
"Mum always said I sang before I spoke, but I don’t remember that...I had a solo [‘Silent Night’]. I loved that I got to sing a song by myself, and that this song made people smile and be happy."
Cynthia Erivo did break through quite early in her life, and by now, the actress has received multiple accolades across both fields of acting and singing. She has won a Daytime Emmy Award, a Grammy Award and a Tony Award. She has also been nominated for the Academy Award twice.
With Wicked's acclaim, Cynthia Erivo may win even more accolades this year. She will also appear in the sequel, Wicked: For Good, which will premiere in November 2025.
