Cynthia Erivo Is Over Wicked Talk—Time to Move On

Two years of press tours, interviews, and promotional appearances can wear anyone down—and Cynthia Erivo has officially hit her limit with the Wicked conversation.

In a candid moment with Variety, the Tony-winning actress made it clear she’s ready to turn the page. Because I feel like I’ve spent the last two years talking about it, and I think that we have an opportunity to talk about something else, she explained. And I love Wicked, but I’ve just talked about it ad nauseam.

It’s an understandable fatigue. When you’re attached to a massive film project—especially one that spans multiple installments and comes with the weight of beloved source material—the promotional machinery can feel relentless. From early casting announcements through production, reshoots, post-production, festival circuits, and theatrical release, the marketing cycle for a tentpole film like Wicked doesn’t just last weeks. It lasts months. Sometimes years.

Erivo’s honesty here is refreshing, actually. Rather than offering the polished, grateful sound bites we’ve grown accustomed to hearing from actors on the promo trail, she’s acknowledging what’s real: sometimes you need to move on. That doesn’t diminish her love for the project or her commitment to the role. It just means she’s human, and she’s got other stories she wants to tell and other chapters of her career to explore.

The question now is what’s next for her. The actress has always been drawn to bold, transformative roles—whether on stage or screen. After two years of Elphaba, audiences are probably curious about what she’ll tackle when she finally steps away from Wicked.