Cynthia Erivo will play the role Idina Menzel originated on Broadway in this fall’s movie adaptation of the hit musical ‘Wicked,’ in theaters Nov. 27
Idina Menzel and Cynthia Erivo are defying gravity — together!
Menzel, 53, and Erivo, 37, teamed up at the 2024 Tony Awards on Sunday, June 16 to present the night’s biggest award — best musical — to The Outsiders. The actresses bonded for a moment about their shared role — Elphaba, aka the Wicked Witch of the West, in Wicked — before they presented the award.
“I’m just going to go off-script real quick to say how excited I am to see what I know is going to be an amazing performance in that movie you’re doing,” Menzel said. Erivo responded, “I love you.”
“I just wanted to say green girl power,” Menzel added, to which Erivo said, “Green girl power, indeed.”
Menzel won the Tony for best actress in a musical in 2004 for her performance in the show. She performed the role from when the show opened on Broadway in October 2003 until January 2005.
Erivo, meanwhile, is also a best actress in a musical winner, for her role in the 2015 revival of The Color Purple. The British star plays Elphaba in the upcoming film adaption, which will tell the beloved story in two parts, released in November 2024 and November 2025.
In 2022, Menzel admitted that it was “hard” for her to not be playing Elphaba in the film adaptation, which also stars Ariana Grande as Glinda. “The answer is, yes, I’m very excited and I know it’s in great hands and I’ve sent so much love to Cynthia and Ariana and I’m there for them if they need me,” she told Broadway.com at the time. “And yes, I’m a little sad that I’m just older and can’t play the role, you know? And that’s the honest truth.”
Still, Menzel told PEOPLE in 2022 that she was open to appearing in the movie adaptation. “If they asked me to do it at the age of 51, I would say, sure — just put a little Vaseline on the lens, throw some green makeup on me, use a little CGI and I’ll look gorgeous,” she joked at the time.
“But no, it’s all good. That ship has sailed,” she added. Still, fans have speculated that Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who originated the role of Glinda, will have cameos in the movie. The pair also attended a performance of Wicked last October to celebrate the show’s 20th year on Broadway.
As for Erivo, her Wicked costars have also given her their vote of confidence. Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey, who stars in the films as Fiyero,
