‘Wicked’ Star Cynthia Erivo Shared ‘Classism’ Experience at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
It might be difficult to picture Cynthia Erivo’s hardships before becoming who she is now—an award away from achieving EGOT status. Erivo recently opened up about her experience at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
Cynthia Erivo’s “Classism” Experience at RADA
In an interview with The Guardian, Erivo shared she experienced not just racism but also classism at RADA, for which she was appointed as vice president last year, a first in the school’s 120-year history.
In the past, she auditioned and won a competition to be a back-up singer for the band Westlife, which would have earned her a significant amount of money “that would have paid off everything.” But RADA didn’t allow her because it meant missing two weeks of class. She added, “And the people running the place don’t necessarily understand people who aren’t given everything. They don’t understand what that experience looks like. There was another student in a play, missing two weeks, and that was fine; it was just weird, looking down on a backing-vocals gig.”
Instead of the lucrative gig with Westlife, Cynthia Erivo ended up working with shirtmaker Thomas Pink leaving her feeling tired all the time. She was misunderstood as someone “lazy,” and “not dedicated.” She was then offered small roles in school productions which lowered her chances of getting an agent. “First, it was because they thought I wasn’t concentrating. It was like a punishment. The second time, I can’t even remember the excuse. The third year, the excuse was, they thought I was ‘efficient’ and other people needed more help.”
Grateful for the Experience
The Wicked star still felt grateful despite the tough experience. She said, “I’ve never really talked about this before. I’ve never really talked about how tough my journey has been. I think I’m just so grateful, and you take the good with the bad.”
She added, “Learning what I needed to learn at Rada meant that I could learn what I needed to learn in theatre, and learning what I learned in theatre meant I knew what to do on Broadway, and that’s set me up for TV and film.”
Seeing Herself on Screen
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Erivo said the first time she saw herself as Elphaba, she wept uncontrollably. “I couldn’t even articulate how grateful I felt to even be a part of it. I couldn’t properly articulate how glad I was to see all the things I wanted of this character to be on screen. I was so, so happy… I feel like I’m watching this epic and I cannot believe that I get to be a part of this.”