Cynthia Erivo has explained the reason behind her decision to shave her head for her role in the upcoming film Wicked: For Good. The 38-year-old actress appeared on ITV's Lorraine on Friday morning, where she discussed the sequel with presenter Ranvir Singh.
Erivo, who plays Elphaba opposite Ariana Grande's Glinda, said her scalp needed to be green for the role. 'My scalp has to be green, and in order, because the wig has loads of partings, it's an open wig, and you can see it here,' she explained. 'And so I was like, well, I guess I'll shave my head so you can actually make my scalp green. So when the hair moves, you see the green scalp underneath.'
The star, who also removed her eyebrows for the part, had previously spoken about her decision to embrace a bald look. In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, she said: 'This is what I want to look like. I love a heel, I love a nail, I love a jaw, I love a bald head, I love a good outfit. It is legitimately a way of just expressing parts of myself.'
Erivo also shared her skincare routine for maintaining a bald scalp, telling Refinery 29's Unbothered: 'Keep the pores open with a little spray, like a tea tree one, to make sure everything is taken care of.'
The actress revealed that shaving her head was part of a journey towards self-acceptance. She recalled an earlier attempt to shave her head at the start of her career, which did not go as planned. 'I remember saying to myself, 'I'd like to walk into a room and have people just see my face,'' she told Self in March 2023. '[My hairdresser] would only cut some of it. So I left with a haircut that I didn't want. I allowed her fears or something she was projecting onto me to affect how I made my decision.'
Wicked: For Good is in cinemas now. Lorraine airs weekdays on ITV1 at 9am.
