Cynthia Erivo Opens Up About Filming Pivotal ‘Wicked’ Scene: “My Heart Broke Open and Tears Fell

Cynthia Erivo Opens Up About Filming Pivotal ‘Wicked’ Scene: “My Heart Broke Open and Tears Fell”.
The Oscar nominee said shooting "I'm Not That Girl" really spoke to her.

Cynthia Erivo shared a sweet message about her experience filming Wicked and how one particular scene really spoke to her.

In an Instagram post, the Oscar nominee, who plays Elphaba in the movie adaptation of the award-winning musical, explained that they had just finished shooting “I’m Not That Girl.” The song is performed halfway through the first act in which Elphaba expresses her love for Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey).

“When we had come to the end of that moment, my heart broke open and tears fell. (Please know this happens OFTEN),” she wrote in a long caption. “I thought of us, the ones who often feel like they’re on the outside. The ones who don’t know that their differences, oddities, quirks are what make them beautiful and special. The ones who, for some reason, believe they can’t be loved and I felt proud to sing a song that might speak to those feelings.”

The actress continued, saying that she is grateful to take on a role that turns the idea of beauty on its head and to be working on the film with “some of the most beautiful souls” on the planet. She stars alongside Bailey, Ariana Grande as Glinda, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible and Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard in director Jon M. Chu’s big-screen adaptation.

“I desperately hope that when you finally see this film, you’ll see you, you’ll see me, you’ll see Jon and Ari and our hearts laid bare,” Erivo wrote. “You’ll see pain and joy and maybe just maybe you’ll see a little spark of light that says, you are who you are for a reason and you are deserving of happiness and even though sometimes it might be hard to find, it is there for the taking.”

Bowen Yang, Keala Settle, Marissa Bode and Ethan Slater round out the ensemble cast of Wicked, which will be split into two films. The first chapter hits theaters on Nov. 17, 2024, and the second one is set to be released Dec. 25, 2025.