Cynthia Erivo Just Opened Up About Why It Was So Important For Elphaba To Have Micro Braids In “Wicked”

Cynthia Erivo has opened up some more about why she pushed for Elphaba to have micro braids in the movie adaptation of Wicked.

In this interview, costume designer Paul Tazewell detailed how he used Elphaba’s costumes to further reflect her story, which he summarized as: “A young woman who was marginalized because of the color of her skin.”

If you haven’t seen the movie yet, Elphaba is first introduced to viewers as a baby who is born with green skin, leading to her being ostracized by her own family as well as the rest of society.

Speaking to Variety, Wicked’s makeup, hair, and prosthetic designer, Frances Hannon, said of Elphaba: “The green never changed, but the strength of her lips, her eyes, and the nails do. And that came from Cynthia.”

In the stage show, Elphaba traditionally has long and wavy black hair, but Cynthia said that in the movie, she “wanted something more connected to the person underneath” the green makeup — herself.

“Seeing Cynthia Erivo play Elphaba in #Wicked has had the same effect on me as seeing Brandy play Cinderella as a young girl. Taking up space in a Hollywood musical with braids and it just fills my heart with so much joy,” another popular tweet echoed.

This is not the first time that Cynthia has opened up about her decision to request micro braids for her character, previously telling The British Blacklist that she instigated conversations about Elphaba’s hair “at the very beginning” because she wanted to “make it more authentic” to herself.

“I needed it to be connected to me, as a Black woman,” she added at the time, later explaining: “I wanted to show how versatile braids could be, and how much fun we could have with them — and how emotional the hair can be.

As always, let me know what you think in the comments!