Elphaba in the original Wicked novel by Gregory McGuire either wears her long hair straight down or her hair is covered by her huge black hat. Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba in the 2024 Wicked film wears her hair in braids, a switch from the classic getup of the character.
In a recent interview with Variety, Cynthia Erivo mentioned that she suggested the look-change to make a "direct connection" to her as a black woman.
"I asked if we could reimagine that hair as micro-braids because I knew you'd still have the movement, and you could still have the length, but there was a texture that was slightly to what you would normally see on stage."
While talking about how it represents her black heritage, Erivo emphasized,
"It was a direct connection between me as a Black woman and Elphaba as a green lady."
What other changes did Cynthia Erivo recommend to play Elphaba in Wicked?
Other than changing the hairstyle from straight locks to braids in Wicked, Cynthia Erivo also wanted the character to have long nails.
"I was doing the research for this character, and I noticed that the original Wicked Witch had nails. I wanted a progression. How she grows as a witch and a woman. Some people wear makeup, I always have my nails done. It's like another extended way of expressing myself."
Makeup and hair designer Frances Hannon told Variety that in the movie, Elphaba's nails are shown to get darker and longer as her powers grow.
Earlier this month during another interview with Variety, Cynthia shared why playing the character of Elphaba was so sentimental to her as a Black woman. While recalling racism and color discrimination, Cynthia Erivo emphasized,
"The green stands for every person who feels othered. There is a layer of who I am underneath and Black women walk into spaces that are not necessarily welcoming."
The actress also mentioned that through Elphaba she was able to tell her story and expressed gratitude to the director who allowed her to do so. Erivo went on to recall a scene where Elphaba is told that green is a problem, and says,
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"Those tears were real. It comes from my understanding of what it feels to feel that."
The Grammy Award-winning actor added that she wanted viewers to understand Elphaba's vulnerability and humanity instead of making preconceived notions derived from her dark green coloring. She also added that while the viewers can be "distracted by the green", "they have to come past that so people can view her as a person."
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